One of the top American inspectors of organic foods in China has been banned from operating there by the U.S. Agriculture Department after conflicts were discovered, The New York Times reports.

The Nebraska-based Organic Crop Improvement Association, a private contractor for the Agriculture Department, allegedly partnered with a Chinese government agency and used its officials to inspect state-controlled farms. The agents were given the ultimate decision on whether or not a food product would receive the USDA certified label that customers would eventually see in stores.

China, one of the largest exporters of agricultural products to the U.S. at $3 billion worth of goods a year, has 669 certified organic producers. OCIA was responsible for inspecting roughly one-third of those operations, according to The New York Times.

An investigation of the company’s Chinese operation found at least 10 different facilities in which a conflict of interest was evident.

U.S.D.A. certified organic products are meant to be thoroughly inspected and scrutinized, assuring customers of their quality. Allowing Chinese government officials to inspect state-owned farms undermines the entire process, however.

The nation’s largest organic retailer, Whole Foods Market, once used many O.I.C.A.-inspected foods in its store-brand products. The company says it is beginning to phase out the use of those foods after complaints.

When it comes to China, food and product safety concerns are nothing new.

Earlier this year, an investigative report by ABC News found that the American seafood industry is being flooded with products imported from developing countries, much of which have proven to be contaminated with banned chemicals, poisons, carcinogens and high levels of antibiotics.

The report found that over 80 percent of the seafood sold in America today is imported, much of it from Third World nations such as China, Vietnam and the Philippines, none of which are known for their food safety standards.

The Food and Drug Administration, which is charged with promoting public health through regulation and supervision of food safety, inspects less than one percent of the nation’s imported seafood.

The seafood case is just one of many episodes in the ongoing saga of America being invaded with toxic, faulty or dangerous foreign imports.

In 2007, over 60 million cans and pouches of dog and cat food originating from China were recalled after, by some estimates, 3,600 American pets died from eating foods contaminated with the toxic chemical melamine.

The blood thinner Heparin manufactured in China was also recalled in 2007 by the FDA after it was found to have caused the deaths of 81 American citizens. Authorities believe that the contaminant, oversulfated chondroitin sulfate, a substance that mimics heparin but costs 99 percent less, entered the drug’s supply chain in China.

In the latter half of 2007, over 25 million childrens toys manufactured in China were recalled after they were found to be contaminated with toxic amounts of lead.

In that same year, roughly 450,000 tires were purchased from a Chinese manufacturer and sold in the U.S after they were found to be faulty and pose dangers to drivers.

Most recently in 2009, millions of pounds of Chinese-made drywall were recalled after it was found to emit sulfur gases that ruined numerous air conditioner and refrigerator coils, microwaves, computer wiring, faucets and copper tubing. In addition, rashes, allergic reactions, asthma and sore throats were reportedly caused by exposure to the substance.

U.S. officials have also had to contend with a rash of foodborne illnesses caused by imported peppers, spinach, peanuts and most recently pistachios. And more than 20 countries and markets have banned or recalled milk products from China because of melamine contamination.

It is no wonder then that the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that every year 76 million Americans are afflicted by food poisoning. Of those, an estimated 5,000 will die each year. The Trust for America’s Health found that foodborne illnesses caused by major pathogens cost $44 billion annually in medical care and lost productivity.

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