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China Blocks JBS Beef Shipments Over Banned Feed Additive

May 30, 2024

Only shipments from the Greeley, Colo., plant have been blocked due to the detection of ractopamine.

China has blocked beef shipments from JBS USA’s Greeley, Colo., processing plant because of the detection of ractopamine, a feed additive that increases animal weight. The substance is banned in China and several other countries, although not in the U.S.

JBS SA, the company’s Brazilian parent and largest beef processor in the world, said it is working with U.S. and Chinese authorities to resolve the situation and that no other JBS beef facilities in the U.S. have been impacted, according to a report by the Reuters news service.

The suspension apparently was effective Monday. In a possibly related development, China the same day suspended imports of meat and poultry products from Cool Port Oakland in Oakland, Calif. "China customs detected ractopamine in a batch of frozen beef omasum [part of the cow’s stomach] products exported to China from these establishments and destroyed this batch of products in accordance with their regulations," FSIS told Reuters.

Exports from no other JBS facilities were impacted. By the way, JBS USA is our reigning Processor of the Year.

About the Author

Dave Fusaro | Editor in Chief

Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.