Source: Multiple ~ written by Adam Jourdan
“Wal-Mart, French grocer Carrefour SA, McDonald’s Corp and KFC-parent Yum Brands Inc among others, have come under fire before in China over food safety issues…”
“It sincerely pains me on many different levels to post this article as I am tied body and soul with China because my paying job keeps me behind the Chinese firewall much longer than I spend on the shores of the good ole USA. Plus, we advocates have many friends, brothers and sisters in China as they stand with us and read our dialogue.
BUT, I have been aware that there was a province in China that considered donkey to be a delicacy, well…it appears that red, white and blue Wal-Mart has been caught up in even another equine meat scandal. Be it the U.S., Europe or China, if you mix slaughtering companion equines for human consumption it points to nothing but illegal activities, corruption and tainted food supplies. This story is no exception.” ~ R.T.
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Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the world’s largest retailer, has recalled donkey meat sold at some outlets in China after tests showed the product contained the DNA of other animals, the U.S. company said.
Wal-Mart will reimburse customers who bought the tainted “Five Spice” donkey meat and is helping local food and industry agencies in eastern Shandong province investigate its Chinese supplier, it said late on Wednesday in official posts on China’s Twitter-like Weibo. The Shandong Food and Drug Administration earlier said the product contained fox meat.
The scandal could dent Wal-Mart’s reputation for quality in China’s $1 trillion food and grocery market where it plans to open 110 new stores in the next few years. China is the largest grocery market in the world and is set to grow to $1.5 trillion by 2016, according to the Institute of Grocery Distribution.
“This is another hit on Wal-Mart’s brand, meaning wealthy shoppers will start to lose the trust they had before,” said Shaun Rein, Shanghai-based managing director of China Market Research (CMR) Group. CMR estimates Wal-Mart’s market share fell from 7.5 percent to 5.2 percent over the last three years.
Donkey meat is a popular snack in some areas of China, although it only accounts for a tiny fraction of overall meat consumption. In 2011 China slaughtered 2.4 million donkeys, according to country’s livestock industry yearbook.
TRACK RECORD
Wal-Mart, French grocer Carrefour SA, McDonald’s Corp and KFC-parent Yum Brands Inc among others, have come under fire before in China over food safety issues, a sensitive topic in a country riddled with scares from a fatal tainted milk scandal to recycled “gutter oil” used for cooking.
Wal-Mart said it had set up an investigation team to look into the incident, would strengthen food safety rules and take legal action against the product supplier. It added the person in charge at the supplier factory had already been detained.
“We are deeply sorry for this whole affair,” said Wal-Mart’s China president and CEO, Greg Foran. “It is a deep lesson (for us) that we need to continue to increase investment in supplier management.”
The U.S. retailer has had a troubled past in China. In 2011, China fined Wal-Mart, along with Carrefour, a combined 9.5 million yuan ($1.57 million) for manipulating product prices. Wal-Mart was also fined that year in China for selling duck meat past its expiry date.
Food safety scandals can have a significant impact in China. Yum has struggled to recover sales in China more than a year after a chicken supplier to KFC in the country was found to have used excess levels of antibiotics. Analysts, though, said the impact of the current scare would be far more subdued.
Wal-Mart, which operates more than 400 facilities in China, competes with market leaders Sun Art Retail Group Ltd and China Resources Enterprise Ltd, which in August teamed up with British retailer Tesco Plc.
Consumers on popular microblogging site Sina Weibo were at a loss whether to criticize Wal-Mart or support it. Online sentiment can spread quickly in China where there is a high proportion of social media users.
“Isn’t fox meat more expensive than donkey meat anyway?” asked one bemused user.
($1 = 6.0539 Chinese yuan)
Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter, Wild Burros
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Globalization, we all are vulnerable. There is no “Iron Curtain” protecting us from the great mix of garbage that finds its way around this planet. One big mixing pot of humanity eating other life forms.
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This is disgusting despicable and totally unacceptable , Greed again rears its ugly head, does sorry really get it ???? I think not !!!!The food supply must be above reproach , they have in their hands the lives of innocent people paying hard earned money to feed their families, counting on the food industry to provide wholesome food, no excuses allowed here !!!!!! I am appalled at Wal Mart !!!!!
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I couldn’t agree more! Very well said!
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WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No way should either of these animals, be for human consumption!! This gal has never set foot into a Walmart Store; no will I!~!!!!1
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Saw this article in the local paper. Certainly says a lot for Wal-Mart, doesn’t it? I believe this is under the heading of “give the customer what they want”, doesn’t it? So wrong – its going to bite them somewhere in the lower regions..
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Walmart Is Bottom Of the Barrel In Most Things. This Doesn’t Surprise Me One BIt And It Shouldn’t Surprise You. it Seems ToO That The French And The Irish Are questionable As Well… Wasn’t That Also tied To Belgium, The horse Meat Promoters? This One World Order Is Not Conducive To anybody Here. Perhaps Separatism Is better Since Things Are Easier To TracK And Prosecute The Offenders. Makes Me wonder And It Should You Too.
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Senator Max Baucus, who ordered the very flawed GAO report on horse slaughter, has been appointed ambassador China.
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2.1 million donkeys slaughtered? Is anything alive safe from being eaten there. Who cares about Walmart? What about the animals? The foxes? The millions of donkeys? For a snack? It is incomprehensible that this beast has been unleasehed on the world, devastating resources. When I see figures like this, all I can think of is the pollution so thick in the cities over there, there is no horizon. Do they have human waste control? What diseases are brewing there that will overtake our beautiful world? We can thank NAFTA and greedy salesmen and ourselves. 2.1 million donkeys for a snack. What have we done?
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Jan you are so right. The Chinese eat everything with 4 legs that walks and crawls.
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I just returned from 2 weeks in Burma, with stops in Tokyo and Malaysia. The number of women wearing fox fur around their necks and on the hoods of their jackets was shocking, especially considering the tendency of Asians to sentimentalize animals in cartoonish/babyish ways. All those animals stripped of their fur are probably the source of the meat found in this story.
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Walmart? I saw this article yesterday and it just revives the fact I dont trust International Foods Coming into the Country. They trust huge chains, they Do Not test food trays, or canned meat products, they say beef on our labels.
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Exports: Beef sales down 48 percent from last month. Drovers Network “this headline states alot”.
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the People’s republic of China has recently completed the purchase of Smithfield Hams, with intention of becoming the largest pork producer in the world. They will grow their hogs here and export to the world. With the USDA’s new anti-US citizen er inspection program, that leaves the inspecting to the corporations, US citizens have all the more reason to fear any meat they consume.
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Sickening and disgusting!
And here are two more sickening “human” (not humane) ways that the world has found a way to make a fast buck on animals’ suffering and slaughter:
Apparently there is a $store type of store but with oriental products that sells body creams and shampoos made from horse oil. The store is based in Japan although now in Seattle and LA too – don’t know if the US stores sell this product but ebay does.
and…
Jay Leno thought is was funny and had a laugh on his show when he admitted to going to an oriental restaurant that specialized in serving animal male body parts.
Thinking twice about what and where we spend our consumer dollars and then expressing our disapproval to the companies/organizations that support these actions are things we can do. What we do speaks louder than what we say but a combination of both speaks even louder.
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Walmart you’re “Pathetic” and cannot trust them being the sleeze of the food chain that will put anything on the shelves…
All the animals everywhere are at risk getting into the food chain…
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If we don’t stop this now we are all vunerable to this type of thing.
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Wal Mart, McDonalds and KY Fried, won’t shop at any of them. And now US chicken will be exported to China to be made in “nuggets” and then shipped back here. Wonder how much fox or donkey or dog or cat will wind up in US “chicken” nuggets!! And the corporations are not required to state that the chicken was shipped to China for processing!
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International trade,makes Factory Farming, so they wont stop til they AG GAG everything so they can continue to do this. Whats amazing is China Draws the Line at Fox and nearly kicks out a Store Chain of 600 stores, America has millions of people against horse slaughter and we speak out with facts and they Still keep on going with it? What the H$&$!!?????
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Before long we will be beyond peak oil. Globalization will end 4 billion of us will perish. Local farms will be the only food available cause trucking long distance will be out of the question. War, chaos and what remains of us will look something as it did 100 years ago. Saddle up my friends.
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The future looks pretty bleak, doesn’t it. Wildlife is gong to disappear, sold for money or eaten, or for foolish medicinal cures, and then what? Glad I won’t be around. America’s Duck Dynasty culture is not appealing. Last time I went to Wal-Mart, they were everywhere. I’m not going to be shopping there again, I’m sad to say.
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RT, You express concern for your Chinese friends and colleagues, as if they will get the blame for this… Anyone who believes that the Chinese people are at fault, even those who have been eating donkey, is unaware that multinational corporations have taken over the food chains by weakening the inspection laws, methods and budgets of the government agencies which are supposed to be regulating them.
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Your wanting to avoid racism is admirable. However, those who create a demand for a product are at fault, no matter who they are. Of course not all people are to blame. For example, wasting an entire rhino for a hangover cure is wrong. Bear parts are regularly sent to foreign countries by American hunters for money, they don’t believe in nor care about the reason behind the demand. Furs the same way. I’ll risk offending delicate feelings to save animals – they’ll live. The rhinos and other animals will not.
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These places could all be shut down….by consumers that are willing to take a stand. Statistics show that 5% can tip the market. It has happened in the past and it should happen now…immediately.
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All slaughter of animals need to be stopped…….there is much evil that each and every one of us turn our eyes away from.
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This is disgusting and wrong on so many levels I don’t know where to begin! So WalMart OPENLY sells donkey meat and doesn’t think their USA customers will find out? And fox meat? I guess fox comes under the “game” category, but as a vegetarian and conservation biologist, I am agravated (I’m being polite) at the horrid lack of regard for many threatened and endangered wild species in that country, as well as the inhumane treatment of almost all animals (except the cash cow Pandas). Well, this seals the deal for me – I’ll not be going to WalMart again ever, even to stretch my rescue supply dollars!
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I am so saddened by all of this, animals being abused, horses being slaughtered, Mustangs being driven into extinction…wolves being hunted, a sad,sad thing…The balance has been upset, is there any repairing it ?? I don’t know, not when the government turns a blind eye to the desires of the American people….Its going to be OUR horse meat and our donkey meat on those tables !!!! All I can suggest is that we DONT buy beef !!! In hopes that the country we live in realize that they are hurting the beef industry by clearing the land of mustangs to benefit the beef and oil/mining people., as well as their pocket books…I am just waiting for the land to be cleared of deer, sheep and rabbits because they to destroy the land in their own way… AND I don’t know if anything I have written makes a bit of sence, all I do know is that the only thing that will hunt to extinction, even their own kind, is MAN .
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I am guilty of going to Walmart as a last resortconvenience. That will no longer be an option.
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You probably have the wrong fox pictured. I think the fox meat comes from the arctic fox, which is raised for its fur.
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Redhorse, I checked into which foxes are in question and it seems you are correct. There is an industry in China producing farm-raised Arctic (and other) foxes for fur. Not the most appetizing information but here’s some:
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20131123000083&cid=1103
http://www.ecns.cn/cns-wire/2013/11-22/89710.shtml
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Doesn’t make it any more ethical or humane or right. Still frothing at the mouth over this!
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Well, the China businessman has forced the world to enjoy its decadence, furs, exotic meats, eating aniamal’ sexual organs, boiling down tigers, drawing off bear bile, sknning animals alive to produce the “best” fur, pickled duck eggs. Cheap imitations of quality – that is what we have traded our peace of mind for. We’ve handed over the waters of the ocean, the clear supersonic airstreams, the land once remote and pristine. It is the same with the fight t ban horse slaughter. All the pros need to do is whimper of the economic harvest and point to the furniture made, the foal leather shoes, horse hair weaves. Yep,gluttony is looking us in the eye. but we feel spoiled don’t we? I wonder what these businessmen think of the future. Doesn’t matter to them obviously, but what joy do they experience in the wasted landscape they create? There is no answer. I will never give up my voice to stop the advance of the greedy. I hope none of you do either.
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The fox meat was fox bodies that came from the fur industry in China. I guess they found another use for one of the animals that was skinned alive. I have a good idea that they eat all of the bodies of the mink, foxes , raccoon dogs and others that were killed is ground up in the messes they call food in this country.
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Wow… This article is SO TELLING regarding the adulterated meat product issue that equine slaughter worldwide creates! And I see good ole’ Tesco is right there in the middle of the mix again… Remember, U.S. consumers: that’s Fresh N’ Easy. Chances are, there’s one down the street from where you are sitting right now… Even though their U.S. subsidiaries are going through bankruptcy proceedings and are being “reorganized,” the following article is very interesting and really makes you wonder why “British executives adopted a “Don’t call us, we’ll call you” strategy when finding American suppliers” : http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304607104579214300926712182 as was pointed out in this article of over a year ago, that foretold the reorganization of the chain: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/dec/06/business/la-fi-tesco-fresh-easy-20121206. Now, as advocates opposing the commercial slaughter of horses, and adulterated meat products, shouldn’t we also be drawing attention to the PROVEN issue of adulterated meat products surrounding the output of just about every major commercial horse slaughter facility worldwide? We all know that the market for the meat fueling the current and ongoing Horse Meat Scandal in Europe was severely affected by the flesh of U.S. horses being processed in Canada and Mexico. The fact that their “product” contains high levels of prohibited drugs and medications, not to mention the adrenaline, DOES affect the overall meat quality and value. The producers and distributors ALL know this. They KNOW what is up and will do ANYTHING possible to increase their profits, including using any information they have to negotiate better prices. With cheaper horse meat coming from North America—that would be sold as “good” in the place of the higher priced European sources—being produced constantly, the criminals who substituted horse meat into other processed meat products did so because it is a perishable resource easily conformed and disguised for the sake of profitability. We are talking about the largest processed meat and food manufacturers in the world. They operate on a global scale where their profit margins are sometimes beyond razor-thin. How long do you think this has been going on? Do you really believe the rouge practice of purposeful meat adulteration has been resolved on an international scale? OR—is the REAL market that Rains Natural and Valley Meats hopes to tap being revealed, in every passing day, to be an ENTIRELY questionable one? (And, can we really be sure there is no horse meat sitting, frozen, on American shelves disguised as another processed meat product???)
I believe that our efforts can be put to good use to research, making the connection and suggestion to many different media sources the need for comprehensive coverage on this very controversial issue. The food industry worldwide is one of the largest markets that exists with publications, reporters and investigators dedicated specifically to report on issues within that market: https://www.google.com/#q=international+food+industry+publications. We’ve been hearing about this issue through the general media, which is a huge leap for a food issue. The international food industry media sources are the ones who would investigate and push the stories we want to hear. They are also the ones who have the ears of the food industry regulators.
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RT on one level I do feel your pain. One of my cousins. Married a Chinese fellow years ago. He’s a nice man. They have two great kids. When Chinese marry they have days of celebrating. One day is for the bride, one for the groom and yet another day combined. And EVERYONE in the family comes. This includes cousins of in-laws no matter how far removed! It is not unusual to have several hundred people at weddings. It is a fascinating culture.
I thought we learned last year that WalMart has three meat suppliers worldwide. They don’t disclose where the meat is sourced from but with only three suppliers it narrows the possibilities. Happily my nearest WalMart doesn’t have grocery. It has a SMALL freezer section (whoopee). But with Costco down the street I wouldn’t buy foods from WalMart.
Yum Brands we learned years ago from the Kentucky Derby how they own all these fast food restaurants in this country. Since that time I don’t go to BK, Taco Bell, or any of the fast food joints owned by Yum Brands.
So MickeyD’s is involved now?! I confess to going there in the past year for chicken but I guess there off limits now too.
I hope those that KNOWINGLY eat equine–their privates fall off, their skin boils and they suffer the worst death possible. For those that UNKNOWINGLY got caught up in this I hope their health is restored and they don’t suffer after effects.
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