Clenbuterol cannot stop the Consumer Foundation from calling for a boycott of US beef

The Codex Alimentarius Commission held a vote yesterday evening and passed by only 2 votes to set the maximum residue level of the lean meat stimulant "ractopamine" in beef and pork. The Consumers' Foundation emphasized that this is the result of international political struggles and does not mean that lean meat stimulants are safe. In addition to calling on the government to fulfill its promise and implement the policy direction of "separating beef and pork", it also called on the public to refuse to buy American beef, which is most likely to use lean meat stimulants.

Su Jinxia, ​​chairperson of the Consumers' Foundation, said that the Ma government had proposed policy directions including "separation of beef and pork" and "mandatory labeling" for the conditional opening of ractopamine. She called on the government to implement them and absolutely not allow pork, which is a large consumer product in the country, to contain clenbuterol. Mandatory labeling should also be extended to every bite of beef eaten on the market, including traditional markets, fast food restaurants, and dumpling fillings. It is not enough to just indicate the origin of the meat, but also whether it contains clenbuterol or the clenbuterol content.

"If people don't want to eat ractopamine at all, we urge them to avoid buying American beef as much as possible!" Su Jinxia said that American beef poses a threat of ractopamine and mad cow disease, and called on the public to not only refuse to buy it, but also to take the initiative to ask where the meat they eat comes from when they go to a restaurant, and avoid consuming it if it is American beef.

Su Weishuo, a psychiatrist who has long been concerned about the issue of ractopamine, said that once common standards are established internationally, the principle of "separating cattle from pigs" actually violates international trade regulations. He is very curious about how the government will fulfill its promise to only set a permissible amount of ractopamine residues for cattle but not for pigs. He suggested that in order to comply with international standards, the government should redo the risk assessment based on the eating habits of the Chinese people and set stricter permissible standards accordingly.

In addition, Dr. Su Weishuo also called on pregnant women, infants, the elderly and patients with chronic diseases to avoid consuming meat containing clenbuterol.