Concerns Surrounding Imported Fruit Juice from China

Early this year, the central government went a step further when they asked provincial authorities to “increase the punishment for illegal criminal behavior in food safety” (Business Times, January 6, 2014). Leaders plan to give food safety a high priority. At least in public messaging and enactment of laws, changes are on the horizon. How long it will take is in question. As stated by Prévost, food poisoning is still a health threat in China, somewhat based on sanitary conditions. In addition, producers, many of whom export product, have to deal with new threats of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and genetic modification.

Reactions from U.S. Importers

What is or should be the reaction of U.S. importers? As they import juice concentrate and other products, they rely on the FDA as well as their own quality control to monitor the situation. In total, 367 million gallons of apple juice concentrate reached U.S. shores in 2012 from China. When looking at other fruits, China is documented as the leading exporter to the U.S. of prepared peaches and pears (98.6 million and 50.7 million pounds, respectively). The U.S. imported a significant amount of frozen raspberries from China as well.

Reaction to food safety concerns from U.S. companies producing and selling apple juice is mixed. The company website for Michigan-based Old Orchard proclaims, “Apple juice concentrate has been safely imported into the U.S. from countries including China, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile for more than 10 years without incident.”

Nestlé Beverage Division reports it does import apple juice concentrate from China as well as South America. “Regardless of the country of origin, all of our imported apple juice concentrate is tested in the U.S. before we use it and must meet Nestlé’s strict quality guidelines—which always meet and often exceed U.S. guidelines. If it doesn’t meet our guidelines, it doesn’t go into our juice,” says Joanne Crawford-Dunér, marketing communications.

A Washington state juice producer, Tree Top, reconsidered the purchase of foreign, including Chinese, juice concentrate. Largely the change was to appeal to what they perceived their customers desired, according to comment from the corporate communications department. “We have not imported juice (fruit) concentrates in more than two years due to the availability of U.S. processor grade fruit for making juice concentrate,” states Sharon Miracle-Harris, Tree Top corporate communications director. The company decided in 2008 to only use U.S. apples “in order to meet our consumers’ preferences.” Miracle-Harris acknowledges that when asked to assess the capacity of China to improve safety, “Any additional federal requirements such as field auditing in foreign countries where a company may not have employees with expertise will certainly take additional resources.” She also notes that it might take a long time for the Chinese to comply.

A small producer of juice and apple cider in Minnesota, Pepin Heights, combines its own apples with 50 other Midwest growers to produce product, including cider and juice for sales to about 30 states. It too is remaining local and cognizant of consumer attitudes.

Currently, in somewhat of an ironic twist, the lure of potential markets has American apple and juice producers looking to export to China. Some of the why can be explained by comments in China Agribusiness Report, Quarter 1, 2014, published by Business Monitor International. The Chinese, who have increased purchasing power, are looking to value-added energy drinks and juices as they seek a healthy life. This likely will lure investments from regional and global soft drink manufacturers. (Tropicana, a juice producer, is one of them, according to the article). Other groups looking to export to China are Washington state apple growers. They actually did so until about a year ago, when the Chinese put a halt due to worries about apple disease. China did this in part to encourage its own export of Chinese apples to the U.S. Thus far, the USDA recognizes that pests (on the apples) are a problem and has not allowed this Chinese import. China has curbed imports in the past from Europe as well as the U.S. under a variety of reasons.