Officials are worried over news that the U.S. department of Agriculture could be planning to allow chicken raised and slaughtered in China into the country.

Currently, the only chickens allowed into the U.S. from China are those that have been processed in the communist country. However, a USDA report to Congress indicated that aspects of the Chinese slaughter system are equivalent to what is used in America.

This has caused concern by some, including New York Sen. Chuck Schumer that the agency is preparing to allow the sale of Chinese raised chickens in the U.S. despite the country having a spotty track record on food safety issues.

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China has a terrible record on health safety and chickens are one of the things that need the most care and inspections,” he said. “China has been a massive source of food poisoning here in America for years. Why is the USDA doing it? We just don’t know.”

However, in response to Schumer’s comments, the USDA now appears to be backpedaling on the earlier comments, saying that it is legally obligated to review all requests from countries wishing to export to the U.S. but it has not finalized its decision.

“USDA has not found China’s poultry slaughter system to be equivalent and therefore poultry slaughtered in China is not allowed to be imported to the United States,” the agency said in a statement. “The U.S. food supply is among the safest in the world, and the Food Safety and Inspection Service is dedicated to maintaining that status.”

Meat products from China have long faced safety issues. As recently as September, a large amount of fish imported from China and sold in some U.S. supermarkets was found to contain unnatural levels of formaldehyde, a known carcinogen.

A 2007 story in USA Today revealed how catfish, eel and tilapia from China was rejected for entry into the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration over suspected contamination including an anti-fungal that battles fish disease but is not allowed in the country.

There have also been recalls over the years over contaminated products from China including tainted ingredients in pet food, toothpaste, and even toys.

Reports have also revealed how workers at Chinese fish farms smoked cigarettes that found their way into the water where the fish were grown.

Bill Marler, a Seattle-based attorney and publisher of the trade newsletter Food Safety News said in a phone interview with Bloomberg News that Food safety in China probably won’t get better until consumers can freely speak out against or sue the government and corporations without fear of retribution.

“Until we have a real sea-change in the rule of law in China, I’d be suspect about importing food from China,”Marler told Bloomberg.