U.S., China in food-safety talks

U.S. regulators are negotiating an agreement with China designed to improve the safety of China’s food exports after tainted shipments of fish and an ingredient in pet food.

Representatives of both countries are scheduled to meet this month and in August and hope to reach an agreement by year-end, said David Acheson, the Food and Drug Administration’s assistant commissioner for food protection.

U.S. authorities have raised alarm in recent months about tainted products from China, including seafood contaminated with drugs, toothpaste with an ingredient found in antifreeze and pet food containing a chemical used to make plastic.