Need your immediate opinions on this.
Melamine in US Halloween candy? Tell me, yes or no. Unknown but a risk? Is this something that should be forwarded?
VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUB79WJ9ktQ
W
Printable View
Need your immediate opinions on this.
Melamine in US Halloween candy? Tell me, yes or no. Unknown but a risk? Is this something that should be forwarded?
VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUB79WJ9ktQ
W
Of course, there is probably melamine in candies. And inaction, IMO, by the FDA is not necessarily due only to the elections. It probably also has to do with the fact that China owns over 40% of our nation's debt obligations. China has us over a barrel, so we better not tick them off.
I really don't know what to tell you. If US manufacturers were importing milk products from China then it could well be in our food supply, even if the packaging says "made in USA".
Can we find anything out about this guy before we forward the information? Does he have any sort of reputation?
If what he says is true, this could potentially be very bad. Not just because of the candy, but because it could be in any product that imported the ingredients from China. God this makes me sooooo angry. :x
:evil: The fact that millions of americans buy their candy at wallmart and dollar stores is a sign.Most of these stores products are totally or partially from china and asia. I quit giving out candy several years ago since I dont have small children and my neiborhood has gone 90% immigrants in the last couple of years.
They are saying that this candy was sent to Canada only. I don't believe that and I have sent e-mails of the warnings. Here is another one that you will all enjoy. There is nothing made here anymore is there?
www.aol.in
This is horrible to think they would allow, but it does not shock me after all the scandals that are going on in our government.
Check labels of everything in the food store. I will not buy anything from China for my family to eat.
I'm forwarding this everyone I know.
FDA expands checks for Chinese milk products
Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:22pm EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Food and Drug Administration has expanded its checks for possible melamine-contaminated food products from China to include candy and other items, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
Chinese authorities are trying to roll back exports of milk products contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine.
Infant formula tainted with the chemical has put nearly 13,000 Chinese babies into the hospital with painful kidney stones. Four have died.
"The FDA has expanded its Asian market sampling and import surveillance assignments to include additional products such as dairy-based candies, dairy-based desserts and other such products reported to the agency as having been tested in other countries and found positive for melamine or its analogs," FDA spokeswoman Stephanie Kwisnek said by e-mail.
"We are testing and we continue to test the products. So far, the FDA has not found any positive samples in the products it has tested."
Melamine, which can be used to cheat quality checks by mimicking food protein, has been found in candy, buns and carton milk sold to other countries and regions, unleashing fear in markets already shaken by a string of "made-in-China" scandals last year.
China has the world's third-biggest dairy sector by volume, after India and the United States, the Chinese dairy products industry association recently estimated.
Japan, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan have already banned Chinese milk products.
The FDA says is has contacted the companies that make infant formula for distribution in the United States and been assured that none import formula or source materials from China.
Inspectors have also visited Chinese markets and stores to look for imported Chinese infant formula.
"Additionally, FDA is sampling and testing milk and milk-derived ingredients and finished food products that could contain these ingredients from Chinese sources. Milk-derived ingredients include whole milk powder, nonfat milk powder, whey powder, lactose powder and casein," the agency said in a statement last week. (Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Writing by Maggie Fox, Editing by Will Dunham)
http://www.reuters.com/articlePrint?art ... 8220080923
Instant Coffee, Tea From China Recalled for Melamine (Update
By David Olmos
Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Seven instant coffee and milk tea products made in China are being recalled in the U.S. because of possible contamination with melamine, as health fears increased worldwide over the safety of Chinese dairy exports.
The Mr. Brown brand mixes are being recalled by King Car Food Industrial Co., based in Taiwan, and were made by China's Shandong Duqing Inc., the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said today in a statement. The agency said consumers shouldn't use the products.
The recall is the first announced by the FDA since milk tainted with melamine, an industrial chemical, was tied in China to the deaths of at least four babies and the illnesses of an estimated 53,000 children. The 27-nation European Union yesterday banned all imports of dairy-based Chinese food products for children and infants. India also has placed a three-month ban on diary products from China.
``The FDA is still in the process of determining how widespread the distribution is of Mr. Brown products in the United States,'' said Stephanie Kwisnek, an FDA spokeswoman, in an e-mail.
The FDA also warned consumers today not to eat White Rabbit Creamy Candy after New Zealand's food safety authority found the product had high levels of melamine. The agency said it was unaware of any illnesses in the U.S. connected to the candy or to Mr. Brown products.
Asian Store Inspections
U.S. regulators continue working with local and state health agencies to check for Chinese-made infant formula in food markets in communities with large Asian populations, according to the FDA. Inspectors have visited more than 1,400 groceries in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and other cities without finding any Chinese infant formula.
People who shop in Asian stores should check products for dairy ingredients from China, said Caroline Smith DeWaal, food and safety director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based consumer group. An investigator from her group found milk from China as an ingredient in yogurt drinks, biscuits, buns and pastries in Asian markets in Arlington, Virginia, she said in a telephone interview.
The FDA ``is starting to catch up with the rest of the world,'' said Tony Corbo, a legislative representative with Food and Water Watch, a Washington-based nonprofit consumer organization. ``The Mr. Brown coffee and tea products were under suspicion in Canada last week.''
Food and Water Watch called on the FDA yesterday to ban imports of all Chinese dairy products and urged foodmakers to test any goods they have already purchased for milk-derived ingredients.
Call for Reform
``The recent scandal involving contaminated milk products from China clearly demonstrates that significant work remains for China to reform its food safety system,'' said Representative Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut, who is chairwoman of the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the FDA.
Melamine, used to produce plastic and tan leather, was added by some suppliers to make the protein content in diluted milk appear higher than it was, the Chinese government has said. Melamine traced to Chinese suppliers was also found in pet food that sickened dogs and cats in the U.S. last year.
To contact the reporter on this story: David Olmos in San Francisco at dolmos@bloomberg.net.
www.bloomberg.com/
Wal-Mart pulls eggs from China stores amid chemical scare
BEIJING (AFP) — Wal-Mart said Tuesday it had pulled a major brand of eggs from its stores in China, as concerns rose that an industrial chemical found in Chinese dairy products was in the nation's wider food chain.
The announcement by the US retail giant came after authorities in Hong Kong said eggs from the same Chinese producer had been found to contain melamine, the chemical at the heart of a scandal in China over contaminated milk.
"Over the past few days, we pulled this brand of eggs off shelves in all our outlets in China," Wal-Mart spokeswoman Mu Mingming told AFP.
Wal-Mart's move was the first major recall of eggs in mainland China over melamine fears, but Mu emphasised this was a precautionary measure and that the products from the Hanwei group had not yet been found to be contaminated.
Most other major supermarket chains in China, including France's Carrefour, said they had issued no such recall.
Four babies died of kidney failure and 53,000 fell ill in China this year after drinking milk or consuming dairy products laced with melamine.
The chemical was apparently mixed into watered-down milk to give it the appearance of having higher protein levels.
The scandal, which erupted last month, has led to a spate of recalls and bans on import of Chinese dairy products around the world.
The revelation in Hong Kong that melamine was also in eggs has led to questions over whether the chemical, which is normally used to make plastics, had been mixed into livestock feed and contaminated China's wider food chain.
Zhang Zhongjun, programme officer with the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation in China, said the discovery of melamine in eggs could mean the chemical was present in a wide range of foods such as farm-raised meats and fish.
Zhang told AFP China's agriculture ministry was investigating the possibility that melamine had been mixed into farming feed.
"But we do not know the details of the investigation... we want them to immediately report to us the results of their findings," Zhang said.
"If the feed is found to be contaminated, then there is the possibility (that pork, chicken, fish and beef could also be contaminated)."
Zhang said that feed producers could have laced their products with melamine to falsely boost protein content, similar to the methods of the milk producers. However melamine can also be used as a fertiliser.
In Hong Kong, authorities had already announced they would expand their melamine testing of food imported from China to pork, farmed fish and offal products.
The World Health Organisation said the amount of melamine detected in the Hong Kong eggs did not pose a health threat , but it had also asked the government for an explanation as to why the chemical was there.
"There is no immediate public health risk, unless the individual consumes an extraordinary amount of fresh eggs," Tony Hazzard, the WHO's regional food safety advisor, told AFP by phone.
Nevertheless, there was no indication of whether eggs or any other food products in China may have much higher levels of melamine that could pose health risks, with the government remaining silent on the issue on Tuesday.
China's health ministry said the issue was not under its jurisdiction, while the agricultural ministry and the body in charge of food quality refused to comment.
China's foreign ministry declined to comment on the specific issue but said the government "attaches great importance to food safety."
"If anyone finds any problems, they can contact competent authorities so that we can conduct an investigation," ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters.
Click Here
More Chinese Milk Products Banned in Burma
By KYI WAI Tuesday, October 14, 2008
RANGOON — Burma’s military regime issued an order yesterday banning more Chinese dairy products found to be contaminated with the toxic industrial chemical melamine.
Under order 42/2008, issued on October 13, the following products have been banned: Golden River Full Cream Milk Powder, Butterfly Calcium Milk Powder, Yu Li Full Cream Milk Powder, Sweet Whey Powder, Non-Dairy Cream (Korea), Non-Dairy Cream (China) and Elfalac A+.
The Ministry of Health and Ministry of Industry 1 announced that they would continue to inspect dairy products for melamine contamination and release their findings when they become available.
It was unclear, however, whether the regime’s announcement would do much to protect consumers who use repackaged milk powder sold in small plastic bags for around 100 kyat (US$ 0.08).
A source at the Nyaungbinlay wholesale market in Rangoon said that milk powder from China is often repackaged in this way to make it more affordable—and to make it easier to sell milk powder that has already passed its expiry date.
“I can’t afford to buy branded milk powder, and the (repackaged) milk powder costs just 100 kyat,â€
I've been reading a ton of articles and, put it this way, it looks like until enough people get sick and die.....our safety is questionable. I mean it can be in macaroni and cheese, on down the line. I just know we don't test our food well anymore at all and find it odd that everyone else has found tainted products and somehow we haven't? Right. :roll: A good majority of countries have banned products period from China because of safety issues. We should follow suit because lord knows what damage has already been done.
This is so despicable. What's more infuriating is that every country including China has taken all the products off the market except the U.S.
To allow this deliberate attack on children as well as sicken as many Americans as possible without warning us is beyond criminal.
:cry: :evil: :roll:
What do you all think of this guy's idea that the information is being held back because of the election? Plausible? Or total paranoia?
Plausible. I don't know exactly if it's just the election, but with the economic downfall right now as well......they may not want to ruffle any feathers since China practically owns us. Maybe they don't want the politicians saying anything in their speeches to tick them off with threats of boycotts or bans and stuff.Quote:
What do you all think of this guy's idea that the information is being held back because of the election? Plausible? Or total paranoia?
This day and age anything is plausible......trust in this government with our best interests is limited. Heck, I'm not so sure this economic blow up wasn't perfectly and strategically planned for some special reason as well.
OK its called buy local food and organic. That's the only way you will protect yourselves.
The trouble is manufacturers themselves are not really certain where their food ingredients come from. With all the free trade, it may be milk powder or wheat gluten from China or from the US. Looking at the box of Carnation milk powder at the store, it only states that it is distributed by Nestle Corp. of US. Now that is important information. :lol:
Two things that I think give this guy initial credibility with me.
One, he appears to have accurately sourced many of his statements with the annotations from the news.
Two, this guy hit the problem with the Mexican peppers right on the head. He is clearly aware of the politics we are aware of that are preventing products, produce, and illegal immigrants from receiving proper scrutiny from our government.
W
Melamine Scare In Pirate's Gold Milk Chocolate Coins-Truth!
Summary of the eRumor:
A Halloween warning not to eat Sherwood brand Pirate's Gold milk chocolate coins because they could contain Melamine, a substance that could be toxic.
The Truth:
This warning is true in Canada only.
October 8, 2008 the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued a warning that "the public not to consume, distribute, or sell the Sherwood Brands Pirate's Gold Milk Chocolate Coins described below. This product is being recalled due to positive test results for melamine conducted by the CFIA."
Melamine is an industrial chemical compound that some Chinese milk-based product manufacturers have added to their products in an attempt to artificially inflate the reading for protein levels. Chronic exposure to melamine can cause a number of severe health issues including bladder or kidney stones, acute kidney failure, reproductive damage, respiratory irritation and bladder cancer.
Because the Pirate's Gold chocolate coins are only marketed in Canada, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not issued a recall. Melamine is a real health threat, however, and the FDA has posted a general warning about this substance found in food products imported from China. Click for FDA Warning
On October 24, 2008, the Sherwood company issued a statement on their website regarding their "commitment to test and assure the safety of all our products", and "Immediately upon the issuance of a warning by FDA about possible melamine contamination in milk-containing products from China we began to work with independent labs to confirm our products are free of melamine".
Click for CFIA warning
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/m/ ... -scare.htm
Can anyone tell us if Sherwood Brands Pirate's Gold Milk Chocolate Coins are sold in the US.
If so, why would said coins contain the toxin in Canada and not in America.
Would the more likely truth be that the are not being recalled in America but are in Canada?
W
So they have 40% of our debt, big friggin deal..what are they going to do if we tick them off? Call in our debts? And if we can't pay, what the ----are they going to do? I'm sick and tired of this government bowing to what the Chinese tells them to bow to..spineless jackasses.Quote:
Originally Posted by vortex
I have decided to send this video posted above to my personal contacts as a precaution.
W
How about this.......I'm sending a copy of this with a message to the FDA and see what kind of response I get :wink:
Subject: melamine tainted milk products.
News Break!
The FDA already have this on their website:
http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/melamine.html
Update on FDA’s Investigation
October 10, 2008: The FDA issued a product-specific Import Alert, which prevents certain products from entering U.S. commerce and provides another layer of protection to consumers. http://www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/ora_import_ia9931.html
FDA’s Warnings/Advisories
The FDA is advising consumers not to consume the following products because of possible melamine contamination:
Koala’s March Crème filled Cookies
YILI Brand Sour Milk Drink
YILI Brand Pure Milk Drink
Blue Cat Flavored Drinks
White Rabbit Candies
Mr. Brown Mandehling Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
Mr. Brown Arabica Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
Mr. Brown Blue Mountain Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
Mr. Brown Caramel Macchiato Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
Mr. Brown French Vanilla Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
Mr. Brown Mandheling Blend instant Coffee (2-in-1)
Mr. Brown Milk Tea (3-in-1)
Infant formula manufactured in China
I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO EAT FROM CHINA.
Published on ABS-CBN News Online Beta (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com)
Kraft Foods: None of our products contains milk from China
By gani_de_castro
Created 09/24/2008 - 22:53
Kraft Foods: None of our products contains milk from China [1]
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 09/24/2008 10:53 PM
Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version [2] | Send to friendSend to friend [3]
Multinational food company Kraft Foods on Wednesday clarified they do not use or source milk ingredients from China for use in their products.
Milk and other dairy products from China are currently under scrutiny worldwide after the chemical melamine was found in several milk powder products manufactured in the said country.
In a statement, Kraft Foods (Philippines) said the following products sold by Kraft's authorized distributors in the country do not contain milk ingredients sourced from China:
* Biscuits - Oreo Sandwich Cookies, Oreo Crumb, Chips Ahoy
* Cheeses - Kraft Eden Original, Eden Singles, Eden MeltSarap, Kraft Cheez Whiz Original, Kraft Cheez Whiz Pimiento, Kraft Cheez Whiz Pizza, Kraft American Singles and Philadelphia Cream Cheese
* Confectionery – Toblerone
* Salad Dressings/Spreads and Other Products - KRAFT Real Mayo, Miracle Whip All-Purpose Dressing, KRAFT Sandwich Spread, Miracle Whip Sandwich Spread
* Specialty/Away From Home Products – Mega Mayo, Pizza Cheese, Filled Cheese, Special Cheese
"Kraft Foods does not source any milk ingredient from China for use in its manufacturing plants in any country outside China," the statement said.
The company also said that their OREO biscuits that are produced in China do not contain any milk powder as an ingredient, while coated OREO biscuits produced in China do contain milk powder, but is sourced from Australia.
"Regardless of where they are produced, Kraft products are always held to the highest standards of safety and quality," the statement said.
"Kraft will always maintain its deep commitment to its consumers, and it will continue to consider the quality and safety of its products a top priority by complying with all applicable quality standards in every market it serves," it added.
Kraft is one of the world's largest food and beverage companies with with annual revenues exceeding $37 billion, more than 100,000 employees and more than 180 manufacturing and processing facilities globally, including the Philippines.
as of 09/25/2008 12:07 PM
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10/29/2008
Halloween Candy May Be Tainted
By Mary B. Worthington, The Bulletin
With Halloween coming Friday, parents are warned to pay attention to the origin of candy their children gather while trick-or-treating because of the recent melamine contamination of candy, milk and snack products originating in China.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recalled only one type of candy product, White Rabbit Candy, among the 13 recalls. Several other types and brands of candies may be affected by the melamine scandal, according to an open letter issued on Oct. 10.
The industrial product melamine became a household name two months ago, when on the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, news broke that Chinese baby formula was tainted with the non-food product for the sake of tricking protein level tests. Melamine, a nitrogen compound normally used in industrial products such as plastics, cleaning products, fertilizers and pesticides, appears as a protein in tests on the quality of food products. Melamine has been added to watered down milk to make it appear to have nutritional value.
Worldwide, melamine has been discovered in a variety of candy products, resulting in numerous product recalls. For example, Nestle, the Korean-owned manufacturer of Kit Kat, recalled a batch of mini Kit Kats at the request of the Korea Food and Drug Administration in early October after multiple statements indicating their candies produced in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong were clear of melamine contamination.
The FDA's letter indicated that seven Asian countries plus Australia and Canada report they have found melamine in a variety of products including candy, flavored milks and cakes. A variety of candies including Cadbury, Snickers, Kit Kat, M&M's and Dove have been recalled from China, Hong Kong, Australia, Taiwan, South Korea and the United States.
Additionally, the letter indicates an extensive list of products that could potentially contain melamine: "Milk and milk products that could originate from China include condensed, dried and non-fat milk, condensed and dried whey, lactose powder, permeate powder, demineralized and partially demineralized whey powders, caseins, yogurt, ice cream, cheese, whey protein concentrate and milk protein concentrate."
The letter, which is directed at food manufacturers not consumers, went on to explain there are many unknown factors the FDA has discovered in attempting to understand the extent of the contamination. For example, soy-based products may also be tainted with melamine.
"In addition, it would be useful for manufacturers to be alert to the possibility that non-milk-derived ingredients from China that are or may be sold on the basis of protein content, such as soy protein, also could be contaminated with melamine," the FDA said.
Nearly all candy products contain soy lecithin, which is used as an emulsifier.
On its consumer safety Web site for Halloween, the FDA recommends parents check candy for tampering, however makes no mention of possible melamine contamination.
However, there is still cause for concern according to Mike Mozart of JeepersMedia, a 25-year toy designer who posts his reviews on YouTube. He recently examined several candy toys originating in China whose ingredients include two types of milk powder that were the same products found in the tainted baby formula in September in China, after first attempting to contact his local Target and Target headquarters directly for product recall and testing.
He spoke to The Bulletin about the potential dangers that he has uncovered in his attempt to expose the potential harms in candies made in China.
Mr. Mozart was originally told by his local store the products would be pulled and corporate headquarters would be notified; however, the products did not move from the shelves.
Over one week ago, Mr. Mozart posted a video on YouTube explaining the cover-up and urging his fans to express concerns to Target and the FDA. The video has more than 300,000 hits and has been marked as a No. 1 video on the popular self-broadcasting Web site, and he is receiving more than 100 e-mails an hour from fans who are updating him with complaint phone calls.
"People should not eat any candy from Asia," said Mr. Mozart. "I have no proof that they are tainted or not, however China has recently said that every raw milk product in China has been tainted with melamine."
Mr. Mozart said testing for melamine presence in food products takes only 24 hours. In addition to direction given to food manufacturers, he indicated, products should be taken off the shelf for testing and then replaced if safe.
The World Health Organization (WHO) lists possible indications of melamine poisoning on their Web site. Symptoms include: unexplained crying, especially when urinating, possible vomiting, stones discharged while passing urine, high blood pressure, edema, painful when knocked on kidney area.
While the FDA and the WHO maintain that melamine is unsafe for consumption, the FDA also state that traces of melamine are not considered harmful for human consumption if below two and a half parts per million.
Mary B. Worthington can be reached at mworthington@thebulletin.us.
©The Bulletin 2008
Thank you!Quote:
Originally Posted by mkfarnam
I did not hear about those Chocolate Coins being contaminated in the US.
Good info.
W
Excuse me but when or did this even happen????
Did I just miss it but I never recall hearing about Cadbury eggs, Snickers, Kit Kat, Mand Ms and Dove being recalled in the US?Quote:
The FDA's letter indicated that seven Asian countries plus Australia and Canada report they have found melamine in a variety of products including candy, flavored milks and cakes. A variety of candies including Cadbury, Snickers, Kit Kat, M&M's and Dove have been recalled from China, Hong Kong, Australia, Taiwan, South Korea and the United States.
Anyobody!?!?!? I am so tempted to do an email alert to the alipac list about this right now. Should I?
Help me here folks.
W
This is brand new from just this month!
UPDATE 1-S.Korea finds melamine in China-made Snickers,KitKat
SEOUL, Oct 4 (Reuters) - South Korea's food watchdog has ordered China-manufactured snacks from Nestle SA (NESN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Mars Inc to be taken off shelves after detecting melamine in their samples, it said on Saturday.
The Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) said 2.38 parts per million (ppm) and 1.78 ppm of the substance were found in M&M's milk chocolate snack and Snickers peanut Fun Size, both produced by Mars and manufactured in China.
"We are urgently recalling the products due to melamine detection," KFDA said in a statement.
Mars said it was temporarily withdrawing the products from the Korean market because it was legally obliged to do so and that the melamine levels announced by the KFDA did not pose a health risk.
Kit Kat bars from Nestle were also found carrying 2.89 ppm of melamine, bringing the total number of melamine-detected items to 10 in Seoul.
Nestle said the KFDA asked it to withdraw one batch of mini Kit Kat made in China from the market, after their tests detected minute traces of melamine in a single batch out of eight Nestle confectionery items tested. No melamine was detected in the other seven products, the company said.
"The company immediately complied with the authorities' request, even though this product is absolutely safe by recognized international standards," Nestle said in a statement.
"South Korea has no regulations on maximum levels of melamine in food, and the conditions under which the South Korean authorities conducted their tests are unclear," it added. Melamine, widely used in kitchen utensils, can pose serious health risks if consumed in large quantities. At least four children in China died after drinking tainted infant milk formula last month.
KFDA said it is currently examining 428 processed products manufactured in China. It had completed checks on 288 items as of Saturday. (Reporting by Angela Moon; Additional reporting by Sam C
www.reuters.com
Can anyone find me a link to that FDA letter?
W
Here you go folks, the reporter was very prompt responding
Quote:
Thank you WIlliam for your email. You can read the FDA's Oct 10 open letter at: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/melamltr.html
I hope this answers your questions.
Thanks for reading The Bulletin
Mary B. Worthington
Quote:
"Dear Colleague" Letter to the United States Food Manufacturing Industry, Regarding Melamine
This letter is intended to ensure that members of the United States food manufacturing industry are aware of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) serious concern about the possibility that foods or food ingredients produced in China and exported to the United States may be contaminated with melamine or its analogues. FDA has information indicating that melamine and its analogues have been added to milk produced in China and that milk contaminated in such a fashion has been used to manufacture infant formulas and other dairy-based products. As of this writing, Chinese authorities are reporting that in China approximately 53,000 infants have suffered illnesses, with 13,000 hospitalizations and four deaths. Approximately 158 of the victims thus far have suffered acute kidney failure. Chinese authorities have disclosed that, in addition to discovering contaminated infant formulas, melamine has been discovered in 24 of 1202 samples of milk and yogurt. There is little information at this stage to determine when the contamination might have begun or how widespread the contamination might be. However, Chinese authorities report that melamine was found in infant formula, milk, yogurt, and ice cream manufactured by 22 companies in China. The Chinese investigation into this matter is ongoing.
There are currently two recalls for products in the United States related to this situation. Tristar Food Wholesale Co., Inc. has issued a recall of Blue Cat Flavor Drink (Lanmao), manufactured in China, due to possible contamination with melamine. Also, seven Mr. Brown brand instant coffee and milk tea products manufactured in China are being recalled by the King Car Food Industrial Co., Ltd. due to possible contamination with melamine. In addition, California and Connecticut report that their testing of White Rabbit Creamy Candies manufactured in China has shown melamine contamination. Further, other countries (South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Indonesia, Canada and New Zealand) have all identified products containing melamine including flavored milks, cakes, candies, crackers, rice snacks, coffee creamer, lactoferrin, and cereal.
Milk and milk products that could originate from China include condensed, dried, and non-fat milk, condensed and dried whey, lactose powder, permeate powder, demineralized and partially demineralized whey powders, caseins, yogurt, ice cream, cheese, whey protein concentrate, and milk protein concentrate.
In light of current circumstances, there are several useful steps to help protect the public health available to manufacturers of products containing milk-derived ingredients, including the following:
* Know the precise origin of each milk-derived ingredient. For example, milk-derived ingredients that are sourced from countries other than China could actually originate from China.
* Determine that milk-derived ingredients originating from China are free of melamine and its analogues prior to usage.
* For food manufactured in the last twelve months which might still be on the shelf at retail or in stock elsewhere, determine whether the food might contain any milk-derived ingredients from China. If any such foods exist, verify that they do not contain melamine or its analogues.
In addition, it would be useful for manufacturers to be alert to the possibility that non-milk-derived ingredients from China that are or may be sold on the basis of protein content, such as soy protein, also could be contaminated with melamine.
Should firms decide to recall any of their products because of the presence of melamine, please follow FDA's guidelines in 21 CFR Part 7 Subpart C. We encourage you to communicate any concerns to your local FDA district office.
A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) as well as a liquid chromatograph-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for determining melamine and its analogues is available at the following link to the FDA website:
http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/ ... ml#testing.
In addition to sending this letter, FDA has taken, and will continue to take, proactive measures to help ensure the safety of the American food supply. In conjunction with state and local officials, FDA will continue to check retail stores for food items imported from China that could contain a significant amount of milk or milk-derived ingredients. At the same time that FDA began working with the States on this matter, it began sampling and testing milk and milk-derived ingredients and finished food products that could contain these milk-derived ingredients from Chinese sources. The sampling is being done either when products are offered for entry into the United States or at the retail level. In addition to working with state and local governments, FDA is working in close cooperation with Customs and Border Protection within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, other federal agencies, and foreign governments.
FDA recognizes and appreciates the extraordinary collaborative efforts to protect consumers by all of the aforementioned government authorities and industry in response to this matter. We are confident that you will continue to work to provide safe food products to the U.S. customer.
If you have any questions regarding this letter, you may contact John F. Sheehan, J.D. at (301)436-2367 or Benson M. Silverman, M.D. (301)436-1459.
Sincerely,
Nega Beru, Ph.D.
Director
Office of Food Safety
Center for Food Safety And Applied Nutrition
Quote:
Originally Posted by ALIPAC
I am searching. So far I have found this. Does this help you?
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/melamltr.html
My response to her...
Quote:
Thank you WIlliam for your email. You can read the FDA's Oct 10 open letter at: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/melamltr.html
I hope this answers your questions.
Thanks for reading The Bulletin
Ms. Worhtington,
I read the entire FDA letter you sent me and I did not see any mention of the following items being recalled in the US "Cadbury, Snickers, Kit Kat, M&M's and Dove have been recalled from China, Hong Kong, Australia, Taiwan, South Korea and the United States."
Did I miss something in the letter? If not, what is the source for that information that appeared in your article?
Thank you for helping,
William Gheen
There's a flury of news reports showing up now on Google news engine under search terms Halloween Candy Melamine
news.google.com
It's a good Idea.Quote:
Originally Posted by ALIPAC
I am glad you asked that question. In my search I can find nothing that indicates any of those products were recalled here in the US. Cadbury has a plant in China and it was the Cadbury chocolate over there that was recalled. The same may well be true of the other brands?Quote:
Originally Posted by ALIPAC
I think the big problem is that the milk products from China have been imported to the US and we have no way of knowing if they are in US made candy. Just because there has been no recall here does not necessarily mean our candy is safe. Does that make sense?
The Kroger Value Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips subject to this recall were sold in Kroger stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
This recall was determined necessary after it was identified by 3 consumers that packages of Kroger Value Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips may also contain chocolate chips with undeclared milk protein. The package ingredient label does not identify that the product may contain milk protein.