BUSTED! Chinese Honey Reported Illegally Imported
Ingredients company Alfred L Wolff GmbH is vigorously denying accusations against two of its US executives who were arrested for allegedly importing honey from China mislabelled as coming from Russia and the Ukraine.
Prosecutors alleged the honey imported by two employees from the Chicago offices of the Hamburg-based company was falsely labelled so as to avoid paying the antidumping duties on Chinese honey imported to the United States, according to the Associated Press. Furthermore, the honey was said to contain an antibiotic that is not approved in the USA for use in food-producing animals, such as bees.
Alexander Wolff, managing director, confirmed to FoodNavigator.com that two employees have been arrested.
“We are mainly accused to have imported honey into the US in violation of custom regulations with respect to declarations of origin to avoid antidumping duties,” he said. “These accusations are wrong and shall be rebutted and we will defend ourselves against these allegations with all legal means.”
Wolff said he was unable to comment on the matter in further detail due to the ongoing proceedings and based on the advice of attorneys.
Back in February, federal agents took samples from 9 containers of honey that were marketed as having come from Russia. Antidumping duties are not applicable for honey of this origin. However, tests showed 3 of the 9 containers were from China, claimed the Associated Press. Another batch labelled as coming from the Ukraine was also found to be sourced from China.
Then, after searching Wolff’s Chicago offices, investigators found a shipment of the honey was sold to a company in Texas, despite containing the illegal antibiotic. And 57 tonnes of “Light Amber Polish Honey” may also have come from China.
The two Wolff employees were arrested on Friday, 23 May, at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. The current charge is said to carry a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 (€159,440) fine.
Wolff has subsidiaries in North America, South America, China, Hong Kong, Hungary and Romania, and holds an ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) certificate. The company was founded in 1901 and is currently undergoing strategic changes as it moves away from lower value ingredients and focuses on gum arabic and agar agar.
- Story via Sterling Clark
- http://home.ezezine.com/1636/1636-2008.05.28.16.04.archive.html
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Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping - Wolff pledges to fight illegal honey claims:
FoodNavigator.com
28 May 2008
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Well this is probably just the beginning since we are greatly increasing imports of the honey bees themselves from Australia. With hives collapsing and bees disappearing the global food supply and entire global ecosystem is being threatened.
The Bush administration has pretended these problems do not exist, you would think Bush has no kids of his own.