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Discovery of Smuggled Poultry Prompts Search of Restaurants and Grocery Stores
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The discovery of a large shipment of smuggled Chinese poultry prompted a statewide search of grocery stores and restaurants in Michigan to make sure none of the poultry made it to store shelves or consumers' kitchens. It is illegal to import poultry from China because of fears of avian flu contamination.
Since the illegal poultry was discovered last month, the U.S. and Michigan Departments of Agriculture have seized more than 3,500 pounds of Chinese poultry from a warehouse in Troy, Michigan.
Restaurants and grocery stores that were listed as having had any interaction with the warehouse in the past were inspected by the Michigan Department of Agriculture in conjunction with local Michigan health departments. No illegal poultry was found in any restaurant or store.
Authorities are still searching, however, for four boxes of smuggled goose intestines that the USDA seized from the warehouse. The boxes went missing after they were marked for detainment. That investigation is still ongoing.
The USDA said there was no reason to believe that the Chinese poultry they seized was contaminated, but they incinerated all of it as a precaution.
Last week, the Tinway Corporation, which owned the warehouse, had its license rescinded.
Brad Deacon, the MDA's emergency management coordinator, told ABC News that authorities recognized the problem, reacted properly and are taking every precaution to ensure public safety.
"I think this helps to demonstrate that the food safety net from federal, state and local is working. We've been working together with our local health departments," he said. "We also have proactively been in any sort of facility that sells these kinds of foods across the whole state."
Read ABC News' recent report on the state of open air poultry markets in Flushing, Queens.
July 17, 2006 in Avian Flu | Permalink | User Comments (7)
Like the song goes...."It's still the same old story"...Money over morals. If there's a buck to be made, exit scruples. Look at the consequences. This gang would risk an epidemic of bird flu and not bat an eye for the almighty dollar. Perhaps if the penalties, fines and jail time were made public it might change the smuggling operation.
Posted by: botcha-galoop | Jul 17, 2006 2:28:34 PM
What could they be thinking? How STUPID!
Posted by: avahome | Jul 17, 2006 8:44:15 PM
The laws on smuggling in the US are pretty much a jock. I meen even human smuggling is given a slap on wrist. I agree the penalties for smuggling "anything" into the US should be a minimum of five years and much higher for certain items suck as drugs, food, or humans!
Posted by: Ken S | Jul 18, 2006 9:12:30 AM
Should we blame American chickens for being unwilling to be served as certain dishes? If you want an American chicken to become hoisin-glazed with a side of rice, it's going to cost about .99 per pound. If the Chinese chicken can do the same dish for only .40 per pound, then it's no surprise the American chicken is left in the freezer case.
Poor Richard
Posted by: Poor Richard | Jul 19, 2006 4:22:48 PM
I can't understand where the punishment went for the criems that are being commited these days. Smuggling was a manditory prison sentence in years gone buy, now it's oh well let them go with a little fine and let them do it again and this time they will get the food into our chain of stores and restaurants. Our government representatives and Federal {plice had better sharpen it up and do their jobs or we will be in bigger trouble then we are now.
Posted by: Bill | Jul 20, 2006 5:46:48 AM
Well, you know, our "pals" in China are only concerned with our well-being, NOT!
It wouldn't surprise me one single bit if these missing intestines were completely saturated with HN51. You know, the old conspiracy theory: "Lets smuggle something infected over there to them, maybe it will take them out real good or at least then they will have the same problem that we do. Brother Chairman! We cannot allow an HN51 infection gap!"
Indeed, call me paranoid, but I never trusted those shipping containers that come from China loaded with who knows what!
STOP OUR RELATIONS WITH COMMUNIST NATIONS!
Posted by: solarsails | Aug 8, 2006 10:29:02 AM
How on Earth do chickens get "smuggled" from China to the USA. I mean really. Wouldn't that be slightly costly? It would only be cost effective on a large scale. And quite frankly I would think that a boatload of chickens would more or less stand out like a "boatload of chickens"!
----discovery? -----smuggled? Sounds like this would make a great Miami vice episode...
Posted by: solarsails | Aug 8, 2006 10:33:47 AM
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