China clears Danone, milk products of melamine
Filed under: Banned Foods, China Product Safety, Dangerous Foods, Is it Safe?, Melamine, china
China clears Danone, milk products of melamine
By AUDRA ANG – 12 hours ago
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese quality investigators have found that milk products from a unit of France’s Groupe Danone SA are melamine-free, and also said an unapproved additive used by one of China’s largest dairies is safe but was used illegally.
The separate investigations into the products of Danone’s Dumex Baby Food Co. Ltd. and Mengniu Dairy Group Co. underscore the government’s chronic problems with policing product quality. Melamine-contaminated milk was linked to the deaths of at least six Chinese babies and illnesses of nearly 300,000 others last year.
In a statement released over the weekend, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision said it had tested 932 batches dairy products produced by the Dumex subsidiary since mid-September “and all are melamine-free.”
It also said no melamine, an industrial chemical used in the manufacture of plastics and fertilizer, was found in more than 1,700 batches produced before mid-September, when the dairy scandal broke.
“Our valued consumers can continue to use our product with confidence,” Dumex said in a statement. “Now more than ever, we remain committed to providing products of the highest quality to our loyal consumers.”
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry said a panel of experts had reviewed OMP, a milk protein added by Mengniu to its premium Telunsu line and declared that "consumption ... is not hazardous to health."
However, the ministry said that OMP is not a government-approved additive and Mengniu "promoted its function in an exaggerated manner."
"Law enforcement and inspection departments will further deal with the illegal actions of Mengniu," the ministry said, without giving any details.
It said the company had stopped using OMP and was in the process of getting official approval.
Telephones were not answered at Mengniu's media department on Monday.
Last year's milk scandal, over nitrogen-rich melamine that was added to milk to fool protein tests, was China's worst food contamination crisis. It also exposed loose controls over large companies like Mengniu and Yili Industrial Group Co., whose products were recalled.
Both companies had been exempt from government inspections under waivers given to companies deemed to have proper quality controls, which have since been scrapped.
Death Sentence for melamine food contaminators in China.
Filed under: China Product Safety, Dangerous Foods, Melamine, peanut butter
The Chinese kill their food poisoners. What about the U.S. peanut butter execs who know salmonella was present 12 times.
Accidents happen, but the FDA has determined that the producer of the peanut butter that has sickened more than 500 people, hospitalized 127 and killed eight has a history of knowingly selling food contaminated with salmonella.
The FDA has identified approximately12 instances in the past two years when Peanut Corporation of America, in its own internal testing, identified some type of salmonella in the food and eventually released peanut butter for sale, said Michael Rogers, who heads FDA’s Division of Field Investigations in the Office of Regulatory Affairs.
Several of you have already reminded me that just last week, a Chinese court ordered the death of two men and a life sentence for a dairy executive for their roles in knowingly producing and selling milk poisoned with melamine. The tainted milk has killed at least six children and made almost 300,000 sick. The presence of the melamine, a chemical used in plastics, forced a world-wide recall of dairy and other products.
Fortunately, the numbers of unfortunates sickened in the U.S. was far, far lower, but, according to FDA’s Robert Tauxe, half of those brought down by the bad peanut butter are children.
Nevertheless, I can’t see the government demanding the death penalty for the gang at the Georgia peanut plant, but if they really knew it had salmonella and still sold it, that sounds criminal to me.
Dr. Stephen Sundlof, director of FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in Washington, says that if further investigation show the action of the peanut executives violated the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act ?then that is technically a
violation of the law.
FDA’s regulations have “the force of law,” Sundlof says. “Whether or not there was any criminal activity involved is a different issue. We’re looking.”
Meanwhile, the American Peanut Council tossed its Georgia member to the wolves, saying the trade group was shocked and dismayed at the findings that the company “knowingly released a product with potential salmonella contamination into the food supply.”
“The findings of the FDA report can only be seen as a clear and unconscionable action of one irresponsible manufacturer?,” Patrick Archer, peanut council present, said in a statement.
Death would seem like a good deterrent to putting out dangerous foods!
Cookies recalled, may contain melamine in USA
Filed under: Banned Foods, China Product Safety, Dangerous Foods, Melamine
Melamine in cookies
Two months after a warning from federal officials, a New York company has issued a nationwide recall of one of its brands of cookies that could be tainted with melamine.
National Brands of Spring Valley, N.Y., said in a statement issued today by the Food and Drug Administration that it’s pulling all of its 4.76 oz. (135 g.) and 12.3 oz. (350 g.) cans of Topaz brand Wafer Rolls. They come in four flavors: vanilla, chocolate, hazelnut chocolate and mocha-cappuccino.
The company said FDA tests turned up melamine, which is used in plastics and is blamed for deaths of at least six kids in China and scores of pets in North America after it was found in Chinese infant formula and pet food with ingredients imported from China.
In November, the FDA warned consumers in a bullet point on its Web site not to consume the wafers. Last month, officials said they were "working" with the company to try to issue a recall. The agency has no authority itself to pull products off the market.
The company said no illnesses have been reported in connection with the cookies.
Other sweets have been recalled in recent months because they tested positive for melamine. They include G&J Gourmet Market cocoa items made by a Canadian company, Dorsey Marketing, Inc., of Ville St. Laurent, Quebec. Those products are:
- G&J Cocoa Stuffer, item 120144
- G&J His and Hers Hot Cocoa Set, item 120129
• G&J Cocoa, item 120126, sold in 2 flavors: French Vanilla Cocoa and Double Chocolate Cocoa
To see the release on the G&J recall, go here.
Before that four kinds of Wonderfarm cookies, or biscuits, made in Vietnam by Interfood Shareholding Co., and distributed in the U.S. by a Vernon, Calif., J & A Importers, were recalled.
To check the complete list of food that's made it to the U.S. and has tested positive for melamine, go to the FDA Web site here.
If you have any questions about the Topaz recall, you can call National Brands at 1-866-238-5201, Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST. Check the release here.
Melamine may be in cocoa products, Topaz Brand Wafer Rolls (May be in Big Lots)
Filed under: BPA,Bishenol A, Banned Foods, China Product Safety, Dangerous Foods, Food Dyes, Melamine, Red Dye 1, U.S.A and Melamine Scare, What it is?, holiday food safety
Recalls: cocoa products, Topaz brand Wafer Rolls
The following recalls have been announced:
_Dorsey Marketing Inc. is recalling G&J Gourmet Market cocoa products because they might contain melamine, a chemical used in plastics and not approved to be directly added to food in the U.S. No illnesses have been reported, according to the company, based in Saint-Laurent, Quebec. The recalled products include G&J Hot Cocoa Stuffer, item 120144; G&J His and Hers Hot Cocoa Set, item 120129; G&J Cocoa item, item 120126, sold in French Vanilla Cocoa and Double Chocolate Cocoa flavors. The recalled products were imported into the United States by the company. They were distributed nationwide to Big Lots during the weeks of Sept. 22 and Sept. 29 this year and to Shopko during the week of Oct. 6. For more information, consumers can e-mail the company: recall(at)dmi-global.com.
_National Brands Inc. is recalling all its 4.76-ounce and 12.3-ounce cans of Topaz brand Wafer Rolls because the products might be contaminated with melamine. No illnesses have been reported, according to the Spring Valley, N.Y., company. The recalled products were sold in four flavors and they were distributed nationwide through retail stores. For more information, consumers can call 866-238-5201.
17 Harmful additives banned
Filed under: Banned Foods, Is it Safe?, Melamine, Red Dye 1, china
Chinese health ministry bans 17 harmful substances in food
BEIJING – China has published a list of 17 acids, chemicals and other substances that have been banned as food additives, amid a four-month safety campaign following a scandal over tainted milk.
A Chinese customer browses through various instant noodles at a supermarket in Zhengzhou, Dec. 16. China has banned 17 substances as food additives as part of a four-month safety campaign launched following a scandal over tainted milk. – AFP
Illegal items posted on the Chinese health ministry’s list include boric acid, a chemical used as an insecticide or flame retardant that is known to be added to noodles or the skin of dumplings to increase their elasticity.
Formaldehyde, applied to dried seafood to improve its appearance, but also commonly used as a disinfectant, was another dangerous substance on the banned list, published on the ministry’s Web site late on Monday.
Some of the substances, such as the carcinogenic dye Sudan Red 1, had already been banned by the government, but this was the first official compilation of illegal food additives in China.
In a related story, Chinese police are investigating 27 cases of melamine-laced animal feed, state media said Monday, three months after the industrial chemical was detected in milk, triggering a worldwide food scandal.
The Ministry of Agriculture examined 22,700 batches of feed throughout the country, and found 545, or 2.4%, were found to contain excessive melamine, the official China Daily reported.
Twenty-seven cases had been transferred to police for further investigation, the report said, citing Wang Xiaohong, a top official at the ministry’s National Feed Office.
The government said this month at least six children may have died in China after drinking milk laced with melamine, a chemical normally used to make plastic, and a further 294,000 suffered kidney-related problems.
The scandal, which came to light in September, caused international concern and led to recalls and bans of Chinese-made dairy products around the world.
The melamine was mixed into watered-down milk so dairy products would have the appearance of higher protein content.
The scandal widened when eggs sent from the mainland to Hong Kong were also discovered to contain melamine in October, with the chemical similarly added to chicken feed to give it the appearance of more protein.
China is the largest feed and feed additive exporter after the US, with output estimated to be 131 million tonnes this year, according to the China Daily.
This prompted authorities to launch a four-month food safety drive at the beginning of December to try to restore confidence in the “Made-in-China” brand.
The government said when it announced the campaign that it would start out softly, with companies urged to correct their own shortcomings. But officials would soon begin raiding food producers deemed high-risk and carry out random checks, it warned.
Banned food additives
The list of banned food additives on Monday also included sodium thiocyanate, used in the manufacture of textiles, and added to milk and dairy products to keep them fresh.
Anthony Hazzard, a regional adviser for food safety in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Western Pacific office, said the list could prove useful in reducing the illegal use of such chemicals, by raising awareness.
But he told AFP it was more efficient to have a list of additives that could be used in food rather than an unending list of ones that could not.
As part of the crackdown, the health ministry also published on Monday the names of additives that could easily be abused when added to food products.
It mentioned leavening agents as one such substance, used to make cakes and dough sticks, which could leave excessive aluminium residues if added in excessive quantities.
But the ministry warned the lists were not exhaustive.
"These lists... cannot cover all problems linked to illegally adding substances in food and abusing additives in the industry," it said in its online statement. - AFP
How much melamine is safe? World Heath Org says traces seem safe
By FRANK JORDANS
GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization said Friday that tiny traces of the chemical melamine are not harmful in most foods, but it joined the U.S. and EU in setting a strict limit that regulators should impose before pulling products off the shelf.
Melamine was recently found to have contaminated milk products around the world and has been implicated in the sickening of nearly 300,000 babies in China and killing at least six infants there.
A meeting of food safety experts held by WHO in Ottawa, Canada, decided on Friday that while there is no good reason to have any melamine in food products at all, a maximum of 0.2 milligrams of melamine per kilogram of body weight can be tolerated per day.
Jorgen Schlundt, WHO's director for food safety, said that threshold is lower than the European Union's limitation of 0.5 milligrams. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which originally set its limit at 0.63 milligrams, later reduced its tolerable daily intake to 0.063 milligrams.
WHO's guidance is used by governments to set their minimum food safety standards.
Melamine, a nitrogen-rich chemical used in the production of plastics, was first discovered to be a major problem when it appeared in Chinese infant formula in September. Since then traces have been found in milk products around the world.
Last month the FDA said tests found traces of melamine in the infant formula of one major U.S. manufacturer and cyanuric acid, a related chemical, in the formula of a second major maker.
Schlundt stressed that the threshold the WHO has set — which stipulates that a 50 kilogram (110-pound) person could tolerate 10 milligrams of melamine per day — is not a “safe” level for melamine, but merely the amount a human being can consume without higher health risk.
Melamine is used in some food packaging and can rub off into packaged food products. It also is part of a cleaning solution used on some food processing equipment.
FDA to open China offices after product scares
BEIJING (AP) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will open three offices in China this week in an unprecedented effort to improve the safety of exports headed to America amid recurring product safety scares.
The new FDA offices, which are the first outside of the United States, will increase effectiveness in protecting for American and Chinese consumers, according to the office of U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt.
Leavitt and the agency’s Food and Drug Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach will open the first office in Beijing on Wednesday, followed by one in Guangzhou and another in Shanghai.
“Establishing a permanent FDA presence in China will greatly enhance the speed and effectiveness of our regulatory cooperation and our efforts to protect consumers in both countries,” Leavitt’s office said in a statement last week.
Safety issues involving the blood thinner heparin, food and other products imported from China has put pressure on the FDA to boost its international presence. In the heparin case, a Chinese-made component contained a contaminant linked to as many as 81 deaths and hundreds of allergic reactions.
In October, cribs made in China were included in a recall of 1.6 million cribs issued by New York-based Delta Enterprises.
Last year, U.S.-based Mattel Inc. recalled more than 21 million Chinese-made toys worldwide. Products including Barbie doll accessories and toy cars were pulled off shelves because of concerns about lead paint or tiny, detachable magnets that might be swallowed.
Leavitt has said 13 employees will be assigned to work in the FDA offices in China but has not said what their role will be. He plans to make opening facilities in India and Central America his next priority.
Leavitt plans to attend two workshops conducted by American and Chinese government during his visit to Beijing.
The sessions will address outbreaks of food-related illnesses in the U.S. related to fresh produce as well as melamine contamination in Chinese dairy products which have sickened tens of thousands of babies, the HHS statement said. The nitrogen-rich chemical is used in the manufacture of plastics and fertilizer.
The groups will also discuss reforms that could improve the safety of consumer products and will exchange data on the toxicity to humans of melamine, which was added to Chinese milk to make it appear protein-rich in quality tests that measure nitrogen.
On Monday, the European Union and China signed an agreement to cooperate better on consumer safety. Under the agreement, the two sides will more quickly swap information on tainted food and other dangerous goods. The deal also allows officials from the EU and China to carry out coordinated checks on producers to ensure safety standards are met.
Amercian or USA food products with Melamine?
Filed under: Dangerous Foods, Melamine, U.S.A and Melamine Scare
Many people are worried that we may have some melamine tainted foods in the U.S.
So far it would seem only certain imported items are meriting an alert.
I will post everything I find about alerts and recalls in the U.S
I will keep my eye on this and post any new information that comes to light.
FDA Updates Health Information Advisory on Melamine Contamination
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting consumers that seven Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea products are being recalled by the Taiwanese company, King Car Food Industrial Co. Ltd., due to possible contamination with melamine. King Car Food Industrial Co. used a non-dairy creamer manufactured by Shandong Duqing Inc., China, which was found to be contaminated with melamine. The recalled products are:
- Mr. Brown Mandheling 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 Mandhling Blend instant Coffee (2-in-1)
- Mr. Brown Milk Tea (3-in-1)
The FDA recommends that consumers not consume any of the above Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea products. The FDA also recommends that retailers and foodservice operators remove the products from sale or service.
As of September 25, 2008, the FDA testing of milk based products imported into the United States from China has not found melamine contamination.
The FDA is working with regulatory agencies in other countries. The New Zealand Food Safety Authority reports that its testing of White Rabbit Creamy Candies has shown melamine contamination at high levels. In light of the widespread contamination of milk and milk-based products in China and the New Zealand Food Safety Authority’s finding, the FDA recommends that consumers not eat White Rabbit Creamy Candy and that retailers and foodservice operations remove the product from sale or service.
To date, the FDA is not aware of any illnesses in the United States stemming from consumption of either White Rabbit Creamy Candy or the Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea products.
Individuals who have experienced any health problems after consuming either White Rabbit Creamy Candy or any of the identified Mr. Brown coffee and tea products are advised to contact their health care professional.
Background
On September 12, 2008, in light of reports from China of melamine contaminated infant formula, the FDA issued a Health Information Advisory to assure the American public that there is no known threat of contamination in infant formula manufactured by companies that have met the requirements to sell such products in the United States. That advisory also warned members of Chinese communities in the United States that infant formula manufactured in China, possibly available for purchase at Asian markets, could pose a risk to infants.
The FDA had contacted the companies who manufacture infant formula for distribution in the United States and received, from the companies, information that they are not importing formula or sourcing milk-based materials from China.
At the same time, the FDA—in conjunction with state and local officials—began a nation-wide investigation to check Asian markets for Chinese manufactured infant formula that may have been brought into the United States. In particular, this effort focused on areas of the country with large Chinese communities, such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and New York. To date, investigators have visited more than 1,400 retail markets and have not found Chinese infant formula present on shelves in these markets.
The FDA also advises consumers not to purchase infant formula manufactured in China from Internet sites or from other sources.
The 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, the FDA will continue to check Asian markets for food items that are imported from China and that could contain a significant amount of milk or milk proteins. In addition, the FDA has broadened its domestic and import sampling and testing of milk-derived ingredients and finished food products containing milk, such as candies, desserts, and beverages that could contain these ingredients from Chinese sources. Milk-derived ingredients include whole milk powder, non-fat milk powder, whey powder, lactose powder, and casein.
In addition to state and local governments, the 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.
Thailand burns melamine-tainted products 8 tons of products
www.chinaview.cn  2008-11-10 15:36:09 |
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BANGKOK, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) — Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration burned eight tons of food products tainted with high levels of the toxic chemical melamine on Monday.
Deputy Public Health Minister Wicharn Meenchainan witnessed the incineration of tens of thousands of food product items contaminated with higher than acceptable levels of melamine at the Bang Pa-in industrial estate north of Bangkok, according to the Thai news Agency. Some 20,000 boxes of snacks such as cheese crackers and biscuits and more than 13,000 cans of unsweetened condensed milk containing high levels of melamine were destroyed, Wicharn said that the burning of the melamine-tainted products was to ensure Thailand’s consumers that food products in the market are melamine free.
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Editor: Deng Shasha
Melamine in White Rabbit Candy
Singapore finds melamine in White Rabbit candies; Chinese dairy products now banned across Asia and Africa
Melamine found in white rabbit candies
Looks like our earlier warning to not eat or drink anything with dairy content for the time being bears repeating. Singapore has now found traces of melamine in White Rabbit candies, wildly popular throughout Asia. The Straits Times reports:
Singapore’s Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said samples of White Rabbit-brand Creamy Candy imported from China were contaminated with melamine, an industrial chemical that can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure.
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Authorities on Friday suspended the sale and import of all Chinese milk and dairy products after finding melamine in samples of a Yili-brand yogurt bar and Dutch Lady-brand strawberry milk manufactured in China. The ban includes milk, ice cream, yogurt, chocolate, biscuits and candy, as well as any other products containing milk from China as an ingredient.
'Retailers and importers have been instructed to recall these products and withhold them from sale,' the AVA said in a statement.
'Consumers who have bought the affected products are advised not to consume them.'
This would be the second time in the short history of this blog that the quality of White Rabbit candies has been called into question. In July 2007, we reported that traces of the cancer-causing agent formaldehyde were found in the candies which are produced in Shanghai by the Guan Sheng Yuan Group.
Meanwhile, the melamine scandal continues to widen around the region:
* Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety has found traces of melamine in Nestle Dairy Farm Pure Milk. And in the first reported case outside of the mainland, a three-and-a-half-year-old Hong Kong toddler has been diagnosed with kidney stones after being fed with Yili milk daily for the past 15 months.
* Public health officials in Taiwan have announced their findings of melamine-tainted instant coffee, milk tea and chicken-and-corn soup. The import of all such products into Taiwan has been banned with immediate effect, including instant coffee made by the popular Taiwan brand Mr Brown in China.
* In Japan, Marudai Food Co. issued a voluntary recall of five China-made products, saying they may contain the toxin melamine
* China ally Myanmar has announced it would "seize and destroy imported Chinese baby formula to safeguard against poisoning by the toxic chemical melamine".
* Brunei has ordered a blanket ban on all China-made milk products and dairy items.
* Malaysia has imposed a "level six import ban" on all Chinese dairy products.
* Bangladesh has also started on a crackdown and ban on three brands of Chinese-made milk powder.
* In Africa, Tanzania and Gabon were the first to impose bans on Chinese dairy products and Burundi has just joined them in the ban.
By Kenneth Tan in News
Translator
