Paraquat is not a tropical fruit in China.  It is one of the most widely used herbicides (weed killer) used worldwide.  It is popular because it quickly kills plant tissue on contact and is very inexpensive.  Its famous for a number of reasons, it’s banned from use in the Europe since 2004 but remains used in USA and other parts of the world. 
Sarojeni V. Rengam, at Pesticide Action Network, has called it the most toxic herbicide marketed globally since WWII. 
Guangdong, The Canton Province, is China’s richest province and the most …

The Congressional Research Service, a research arm of the USA Congress recently presented a report titled: “Health and Safety Concerns Over US Imports of Chinese Products: An Overview” publish January 2008 by Wayne Morrison
The report largely references news Stories from 2007, criticizing USA importants of Chiense products based on a number of safety concerns and lack of regulation. 
Some snatch shots of the stories:

Xinhua News Agency reported that former director of State Food and Drug andministration had been sentenced to death for bribes, $850,000 USD for apporivng untested medicines, executed …

Some great news.  The at 20 bakeries in Shanghai, cakes are free of Melamine and heavy metals.  On the downside, coliforms were founds in cakes at some locations.  This is not unusual for bakeries in China or the rest of the world.  Coliforms can indicate fecal contamination, but could be tied to any sourcing, eggs, creams, or simply the on site storage.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2009/200901/20090120/article_388662.htm Excess bacteria in cakes by –
CREAM cakes sold at Christine, Marco Polo and Pucci Bakery failed a food test because they contain high levels of bacteria, the local …

Shanghai is a large, roaming city. For many, the first hunt for greens for dinner will take them to their neighborhood grocery store. The unease that most people have with any kind of Chinese grown vegetables, organic or not, is China happens to be a large producer of agricultural chemicals, DDT included, which are banned in USA. While there are plenty of markets and grocery stores to chose from (Look for future blogs), the task of completing a shopping list of vegetables is not easy.
Today’s quest for organic vegetables in …

Looking to find the pulse and epicenter of the organic food movement, I went straight to the top. I asked epicurean and sustainability expert Dean Decrease of www.thefourthelement.org for any food leaders he knew in Shanghai. No surprise he sent me over to Christian Rassinoux who is the executive chef at the Portman Ritz-Cartlon and overseas all of Ritz’ restaurants in China.

Christian is a princely, handsome gray haired master chef. His charm made it no surprise when I later found out he was knighted by the president of France. Over …