Ractopamine banned in China

A controversial feed additive used to promote lean meat growth in food animals known as ractopamine has been banned from either being produced or sold. The ban became effective on December 5, 2011, according to a document posted on the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology website last week. The order came after a major pork contamination scandal hit China this spring when the Shuanghui Group, China's largest meat-processing company, was found to be purchasing pigs that had been fed with adulterated pig feed, prompting a national crackdown on the use of what's called as "lean meat powder." Read more ...