The import alert could extend to Chinese shrimp, England said, because much of it is breaded and the breading could contain dairy products. China is also one of the world’s biggest makers of supplements, and some protein powders and shakes are made largely with powdered milk.
The import detention order comes at a delicate time. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt and Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach of the FDA will travel next week to China to open agency offices in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai. Months of negotiations were needed for it to gain permission to open offices there.
Michael Herndon, an agency spokesman, said the new import order “shouldn’t affect the opening of FDA offices.”
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