A Japanese recall of pesticide-laced dumplings from China threatens to damage the already fragile image of Chinese foodstuffs here, potentially slowing growth in one of the fast-growing country's most promising export markets.

    Retailers here raced to clear their shelves of Chinese-made frozen dumplings after Japan's health ministry ordered a recall late Wednesday of snacks made by a unit of the Hebei Foodstuffs Import & Export Group. At least 10 people suffered vomiting and diarrhea after eating dumplings with traces of the pesticide methamidophos, including a 5-year-old girl who fell into a coma, the ministry said. Her condition has since stabilized.

    The recall, widely publicized on television and in newspapers, was the latest blow to the image of Chinese food imports in Japan, which have grown as consumers here have become increasingly sensitive to price. In 2006, the last year for which full-year data are available, Chinese food imports in Japan reached $8 billion, up 35% from 2001, according to the quasigovernmental Japan External Trade Organization.

    Japanese consumers already have seen a string of health scares involving contaminated food from China. In 2002, Japan stepped up checks of Chinese vegetables after frozen spinach shipped from a Chinese producer was found to contain high levels of chlorpyrifos, another pesticide. Traces of disinfectant were found in Chinese eel and mackerel last year, further spurring consumer fears.

    Analysts say the tainted dumplings could potentially slow Japanese imports of Chinese food, at least for a little while. 'The Japanese media has jumped on this, and the scare could hurt Chinese food imports as a whole,' said Hiroshi Saji, a food-industry analyst at Mizuho Securities Co.

    A unit of Tokyo-based Japan Tobacco Inc. imported the dumplings, a popular snack in children's lunch boxes, last year. Early this year, JT received reports that consumers were sickened by the dumplings. The company is dispatching an inspector to China.

    'We're going to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible,' JT spokeswoman Shoko Hamamoto said. 'That starts with getting a clear picture of what exactly happened at the Chinese plant.'

    China's food-safety watchdog said it was also inspecting the Hebei factory, which produced foods exclusively for the Japanese market. It said initial checks hadn't detected any traces of the pesticide.

    Chinese authorities said they had issued their own recall of dumplings produced at the factory, including those on their way to Japan. China was also sending an investigation team to Tokyo, Wang Daning, who is in charge of food safety, told reporters.

    'We pay great attention to this issue, and we will treat our Japanese consumers just like we treat our families,' Mr. Wang said.

    Safety concerns could also trigger moves to strengthen Japan's already tight inspections of imported food. In 2006, Japan temporarily suspended beef imports from the U.S. after finding prohibited bone parts in a single shipment of veal.

    日本召回含有殺蟲劑的中國餃子事件再次危害了中國食品在日本已經(jīng)搖搖欲墜的形象，此事可能會給中國這個迅速發(fā)展的國家最具希望的出口行業(yè)帶來負面影響。

    日本衛(wèi)生部門周三晚間下令召回中國河北省食品進出口集團(Hebei Foodstuffs Import & Export Group.)下屬的一家公司生產(chǎn)的食品，日本零售商爭先恐后地將中國產(chǎn)速凍水餃撤下貨架。日方官員表示，至少有10人在食用餃子后出現(xiàn)了嘔吐和腹瀉，其中一名五歲小女孩陷入昏迷，經(jīng)查實，這些餃子含有殺蟲劑甲胺磷。后來這個女孩的病情已經(jīng)穩(wěn)定了下來。

    這次召回事件在電視和報紙上廣為報導(dǎo)，中國進口食品在日本的形象再次受到了打擊。本來由于日本消費者對食品價格日漸敏感，中國食品的形象已有所提升。準政府機構(gòu)日本貿(mào)易振興會(Japan External Trade Organization)所提供的最近一次全年數(shù)據(jù)顯示，2006年日本從中國進口的食品達到80億美元，較2001年上升了35%。

    日本消費者已經(jīng)見證過一系列涉及中國受污染食品的衛(wèi)生問題。2002年，日本在發(fā)現(xiàn)中國進口速凍菠菜中殺蟲劑“毒死蜱”超標后就加強了對中國蔬菜的檢查。去年中國產(chǎn)鱔魚和鯖魚也被查出含有消毒劑，更是加劇了消費者的恐慌。

    分析師認為，問題餃子可能會影響日本從中國進口食品，至少在一段時間內(nèi)會如此。瑞穗證券(Mizuho Securities Co.)的食品行業(yè)分析師Hiroshi Saji說：“日本媒體對此緊追不放，造成的恐慌可能從總體上損害中國的食品進口。”

    去年，位于東京的日本煙草(Japan Tobacco Inc.)旗下一間公司進口了這些餃子。日本的家長們經(jīng)常會在午餐便當中給孩子們帶餃子。今年年初，日本煙草接到報告說，消費者因食用這些餃子而病倒。該公司將派檢查員赴中國。

    日本煙草發(fā)言人Shoko Hamamoto說：“我們會盡快弄清事實真相。首先要搞清楚中國的生產(chǎn)廠家是不是有什么問題。”

    廣告中國的食品安全監(jiān)察機構(gòu)表示，也在對河北的廠家進行調(diào)查，這家工廠專門為日本市場生產(chǎn)食品。據(jù)稱初步的調(diào)查沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)殺蟲劑的任何跡象。
中國監(jiān)管部門稱，他們已經(jīng)下令召回這間工廠生產(chǎn)的餃子，包括正在出口途中的產(chǎn)品。主管食品安全的王大寧（音）對記者表示，中國也向日本派出了一個調(diào)查組。

    王大寧說，我們高度重視這個問題，會像對待家人一樣對待日本消費者。

    對安全問題的擔憂也會促使日本進一步加強本已十分嚴格的進口食品檢查。2006年，日本在一批小牛肉中發(fā)現(xiàn)不應(yīng)有的碎骨之后就暫停了美國牛肉的進口