China’s food inspection watchdog has announced it will step up inspections of Brazilian beef following the recent ban of the product by the United States. The U.S. ban went into effect last month after a high percentage of Brazilian shipments failed to pass safety checks.

China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection Quarantine (AQSIQ) said in a statement sent to Reuters that the problems found in beef exports to the U.S. did not pose food safety risk and were mainly due to abscesses from vaccines. The AQSIQ  said that it had destroyed or returned over 350 tons of Brazilian meat in May, including chicken feet, chicken legs and beef. Some products did not pass inspection and quarantine, and others did not have proper labeling.

China will take necessary steps if it finds food safety issues in meat imports from Brazil and notify the public in a timely manner, AQSIQ said.

Source: Reuters