An Australian organic food company's claim that its products are free of any ingredients from China has touched a sensitive nerve among Chinese netizens after a slew of food safety scandals.
Bellamy's Organic, an Australian baby food producer, labeled one of its products with the statement, "This product does not contain any ingredients from China," according to pictures posted Tuesday by Sina Weibo user "chubashushu."
Chubashushu wrote that, "The Chinese food safety [problem] seems notorious," launching a discussion among Net users.
"We should win credit for [food safety] by ourselves," one Weibo user commented.
Christina Cao, a representative of Bellamy's Organic in China, told the Global Times on Thursday, "The images posted online might not have been taken recently, because the label on our current product reads the ingredients are 100 percent from Australia."
"Upon further investigation, I have been informed by Bellamy's that since November 14, Bellamy's has discontinued this specific label," said Sachin Ayachit, certification manager at the North American Securities Administrators Association, which offers certification for companies that want to prove their goods are organic.
On Bellamy's official website, the company explains its products do not contain ingredients from China because its Chinese customers find it important that Bellamy's products are "classified as 100 percent imported into China."