http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/19/skorea.contaminated.food.ap/index.htmlSEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- South Korea's food authorities will investigate a factory in China after a bag of a popular snack food it produced was found to contain what appeared to be a rat's head. The Korea Food and Drug Administration will send investigators to the factory in Qingdao in eastern China, which performs initial production steps for shrimp crackers sold by South Korea's leading processed food company Nongshim, said Choi Jong-dong, a KFDA official.
An agency official has been negotiating with Chinese authorities to schedule the probe, Choi said. China's reputation as an exporter has taken a beating in the past year following recalls of products including the toothpaste, toys tainted with lead, and pet food fortified with the toxic chemical melamine.
Nongshim has apologized for the incident and this week began recalling the snack from shops across South Korea, said company spokesman Hyun Seok.
The snack -- called "Saewuggang" in Korean -- is one of the most popular in South Korea since it first went on sale in 1971. Nongshim said the snack's annual sales volume was 60 billion won ($59 million, €38 million) in recent years.