Schumer: Chicken Slaughtered, Raised In China Could Pose Major Risk [View all]

[Jesus Malverde]

Chicken from China has officials on alert, including U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)

As WCBS 880’s Jim Smith reported Sunday, Schumer said first, the U.S. Department of Agriculture only allowed chickens that had been processed in China to be sold in the U.S. Now, he said the USDA plans to green-light poultry raised and slaughtered in China.

This has never happened before, and it is a bad idea, Schumer argued.

“China has a terrible record on health safety, and chickens are one of the things that need the most care and inspections,” he said.

Schumer called the plan a huge change in policy, and a big mistake.

“China has been a massive source of food poisoning here in America for years,” he said.

A step closer to final approval, Schumer said a USDA report to Congress indicated aspects of the Chinese slaughter system to be equivalent to that of the U.S.

“Why is the USDA doing it?” he said. “We just don’t know.”

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/11/10/schumer-chicken-slaughtered-raised-in-china-could-pose-major-risk/