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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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Companies Cash In on Food Scare

As fears about imports from China mount, premium products flourish

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(Newser) – The contaminated-import crisis, set off when potentially dangerous products from China turned up on the shelves of pet stores, supermarkets, and drugstores, has meant bigger profits for clever companies. BusinessWeek looks at several strategies: using only fresh, local ingredients in premium products; finding ingredients from somewhere other than China; and touting ways to trace foods from source to market.

Eliminating all traces of Chinese ingredients can be quite difficult, so companies are trying harder to ensure the safety of imported ingredients. They're also analyzing more food components than they did in the past. That, in turn, has meant more business for outfits that can help with the testing process.

A man selects fresh produce. As larger companies scramble to audit their safety measures, smaller companies benefit with clear packaging and straightforward distribution.
A man selects fresh produce. As larger companies scramble to audit their safety measures, smaller companies benefit with clear packaging and straightforward distribution.   (Index Open)
Li Changjiang, minister of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, speaks to the media during a press briefing at the State council office in Beijing, China Friday, July 20, 2007. China's product safety watchdog said Friday that it had revoked the business licenses of several firms at...
Li Changjiang, minister of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, speaks to the media during a press briefing at the State council office in Beijing, China Friday,...   (Associated Press)
Incidents like last March's pet food recall have customers, and companies, looking harder at the ingredients on the label.
Incidents like last March's pet food recall have customers, and companies, looking harder at the ingredients on the label.   (Shutterstock.com)
Zheng Xiaoyu, the former director of China's State Food and Drug Administration, is seen in a meeting of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing in this March 4, 2003 photo. Zheng was executed Tuesday, July 10, 2007, for approving untested medicine in exchange for cash, leading to...
Zheng Xiaoyu, the former director of China's State Food and Drug Administration, is seen in a meeting of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing in this March 4, 2003...   (Associated Press)
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