Melamine in Food - Worldwide

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Melamine in Food - Worldwide

The reach of China's tainted milk scandal

By The Associated Press

Spreading impact of China's tainted-milk scandal:

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Countries that have banned or recalled Chinese dairy products or foods containing Chinese milk: Bangladesh, Brunei, Burundi, Canada, Colombia, France, Gabon, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan.

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Countries stepping up tests on products containing Chinese milk: United States, Australia and Netherlands. European Union, which prohibits import of Chinese dairy goods, encouraging members to check bread, chocolate and other products to ensure they do not contain compromised ingredients.

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Other actions:

_ Bangladesh ordered testing of milk from countries where no problems reported, such as Australia, Denmark and New Zealand.

_ Malaysia, which has banned Chinese dairy goods since 1990s because of concerns over foot and mouth disease, ordered safety inspections of all food imported from China.

_ Taiwan has ordered all Chinese products containing vegetable-based proteins off store shelves, saying they have to be tested. Authorities suggested puddings, instant coffee and ice creams may contain protein additives that were mixed with tainted milk.

_ British supermarket chain Tesco took Chinese-made White Rabbit Creamy Candies off shelves as precaution. Candies had been sold in small number of Tesco stores in Britain and also in China and Malaysia.

_ U.S. Food and Drug Administration added White Rabbit candy to list of products being inspected at ports of entry, but says no tainted goods from China of any sort have turned up yet.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i3itnBdUNA5gWay21t2uFnw_2dpQD93DATRG1

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Melamine in Food - Worldwide

China Withdraws Milk as Fonterra Decries Sanlu Delay (Update4)
By Lee Spears and Helen Yuan

Sept. 24 (Bloomberg) -- China pulled more than 7,000 metric tons of dairy products from shelves as the nation's new quality regulator pledged ``forceful'' measures to tackle chemical contamination that's killed four infants and sickened 53,000.
Authorities seized 4,247 tons of milk powder and 1,562 tons of liquid milk laced with melamine, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The Philippines today banned Chinese dairy imports, adding to restrictions in 15 other countries and markets.
China, the world's largest agricultural producer, has sent inspectors to check dairy farms nationwide after Sanlu Group Co., China Mengniu Dairy Co. and 20 producers were found to have sold contaminated products. The scandal has revived concerns about China's food-safety controls after scares over tainted seafood, dumplings and pet food.
``The dairy industry chain has been badly damaged and will need a much longer time to recover,'' said Chen Gang, Shanghai- based analyst at Sinolink Securities Co. ``The scandal has involved many producers, giving most people a big surprise.''
Melamine, typically used to make plastics and tan leather, has been added to diluted milk to make the protein content appear higher than it is, the government said.
The Philippines today revoked all licenses to import Chinese milk products and Taiwan banned the sale of food made with Chinese milk powder, joining restrictions in 14 other places including Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia.
No Ingredients
Kraft Foods Inc., the world's second-largest food company, it doesn't use Chinese dairy ingredients in any products outside of China, spokeswoman Claire Regan said today in an e- mail.
Cracker Barrel, Polly-O and other cheeses generated 19 percent of revenue in 2007, Northfield, Illinois-based Kraft said in a Feb. 25 regulatory filing.
Investigators found no Chinese infant formula in visits to more than 1,000 Asian retail markets in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and other cities with large Chinese communities, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said yesterday in a statement.
``There is no known threat of contamination in infant formula'' made by companies meeting requirements to sell the products in the U.S., the agency said Sept. 12.
Poisonous Dumplings
Wang Yong, China's newly-appointed chief quality supervisor, vowed to ``properly'' manage the scandal, according to a statement today. Wang replaced Li Changjiang, the highest ranking official to be brought down by the scandal.
Pesticide-tainted Chinese dumplings sickened at least 10 people in Japan this year, and industrial dye has been found in duck eggs and carcinogenic fungicides in turbot fish in the past two years. Mattel Inc. recalled more than 21 million Chinese-made toys last year because of excessive lead content.
Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co. fell 9 percent in Shanghai trading today, bringing the loss to 33 percent since its products were found to contain the chemical.
Beijing Sanyuan Foods Co., whose products were cleared from suspicion of tainting, surged by the daily limit of 10 percent for the fifth consecutive day, to 5.08 yuan. Sanyuan's market value has jumped 67 percent in the past six trading days.
`Appalling' Delay
New Zealand's Fonterra Cooperative Group today criticized an ``appalling'' delay by its Chinese affiliate in reporting complaints of sick infants.
Fonterra wrote down the value of its stake in the affiliate Sanlu by 69 percent, Chief Executive Officer Andrew Ferrier said, after the Shijiazhuang, Hebei province-based maker was the first company identified as having produced tainted milk.
Sanlu received complaints in December and knew of melamine contamination in June, Xinhua said, citing the government. Fonterra last week said Sanlu's board was informed of the contamination on Aug. 2, after receiving complaints in March.
``If they were lying about it, then they were lying about it to us too,'' said Ferrier. ``If this allegation proves to be correct that would be absolutely appalling.''
Fonterra in 2005 agreed to buy 43 percent of Sanlu for $107 million.
China's dairy farms produced 32 million tons of milk in 2006, according to the latest data available from the National Bureau of Statistics. The country's dairy market was expected to expand to $20 billion this year, from $18 billion in 2007, Euromonitor International Plc forecast before the scandal.
More Regulation
The government should license and regulate milk collectors, remove operators without fixed premises and set up a tracing system for products, the Dairy Association of China said today.
``I don't know why young women these days don't breastfeed,'' Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organization, said in an interview yesterday. ``Breastfeeding is the best food for babies.''
Retail sales of infant formula are projected to climb 19 percent to $8.5 billion in Asia this year, helped by a 29 percent jump in China, according to Euromonitor.
Murray Goulburn Cooperative Co., Australia's biggest milk processor, today said Chinese demand is rising as consumers seek alternatives.
Alternative Products
``We've seen increased demand for our milk powder products and also a lot of inquiries about availability of infant formula,'' Mal Beniston, general manager of international sales and marketing, said. The Melbourne-based cooperative accounts for 9 percent of the global dairy trade.
Vietnam found melamine in a 101-metric ton shipment of powdered milk from China and has asked milk producers in the country to test their products by the end of this month, Saigon Times Daily reported today, citing Nguyen Xuan Mai, deputy head of Ho Chi Minh city's Institute of Hygiene and Public Health.
Mars Inc., the U.S. maker of M&Ms and Snickers, said in an e-mail that its candy can be safely consumed because its China unit doesn't use ``any milk powder or other ingredients for any of its products from any company which has been found to be selling melamine-contaminated dairy products.''
Hershey Co., the largest U.S. chocolate maker, said it never purchased milk ingredients from China, according to a voicemail by spokesman Kirk Saville.
Nestle SA, the world's largest food producer, yesterday said all its milk products sold in China are ``absolutely safe.''
To contact the reporters on this story: Lee Spears in Beijing at lspears2@bloomberg.net ; Helen Yuan in Shanghai at hyuan@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: September 24, 2008 14:48 EDT
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aPVvfpUTt3E0

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Melamine in Food - Worldwide

Breastfeeding Drop Exposed in Milk Scandal, WHO Says (Update2)
By Jason Gale

Sept. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Contaminated baby formula that killed at least four infants in China exposes a danger in the decline in breastfeeding that is also depriving babies of the best nutrition, the head of the World Health Organization said.
Infant formula containing melamine, a compound used in making plastics and tanning leather, has been linked to kidney stones and other illnesses in at least 53,000 babies, causing countries from Japan to Tanzania to curb sales of Chinese baby formula and other dairy products. Melamine can boost protein test readings, allowing producers to water down milk.
WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, 61, said the scandal underscores the importance of breastfeeding, a practice fewer mothers are choosing in some Asian nations. Retail sales of infant formula are projected to climb 19 percent to $8.5 billion in the region this year, helped by a 29 percent jump in China, according to London-based Euromonitor International Plc.
``I don't know why young women these days don't breastfeed,'' Chan said in an interview yesterday in Manila. ``We need to try our very best to tell them the difference. Of course breastfeeding is the best food for babies.''
The Geneva-based WHO says exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child's life is the single best strategy for the infant's survival, growth and development. Still, 61 percent of 4-month-old babies are exclusively breastfed in East Asia and the Pacific, and 35 percent are fed only with breast milk at age 6 months, the health agency said last year.
`Inappropriate' Practices
In the Philippines, where $465 million of formula is bought each year, one in six babies depended on breast milk at 5 months of age in 2003, a decrease from one in five infants in 1998, the WHO said. ``Inappropriate feeding practices, including the use of infant formula,'' is linked to the deaths of about 16,000 children younger than 5 annually, the agency said.
``Breast milk substitutes are promoted as equal or superior'' by some manufacturers, said Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial, assistant secretary for health for the Philippines island of Mindanao. ``All of the beneficial substances that the substitutes are said to contain are already in breast milk. There is no need to add anything more.''
Nestle SA released the most new food and drink products for babies in the Asia-Pacific region in the past year, according to Mintel International Group Ltd., a London-based market research company. Nestle said breast milk is best for babies and recommends consumers consult a doctor or clinic before deciding to use infant formula, according to the Vevey, Switzerland-based company's Web site.
Immune Boost
Breastfeeding improves the infant's immunity against infections, can assist in family planning and is a cheaper nutrition source than formula, said Marianna Trias, the WHO's Manila-based adviser for child and adolescent health in the Western Pacific region.
``Everyone is concerned about the food safety controls,'' Trias said in an interview yesterday. ``This will be a golden opportunity now to get the message through'' about breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding rates have been declining in urban areas of China because of the pressure on women to return to work soon after delivery and the lack of facilities to express and store breast milk, said Luca Tommaso Cavalli-Sforza, the WHO's Western Pacific regional adviser on nutrition.
China's Health Minister Chen Zhu said breastfeeding is an ``important'' component of the government's national maternal and child health program that's being ``vigorously promoted.''
Better for Nutrition
``From the point of view of nutrition, the effect of breast milk is far better than substitutes, including powdered milk,'' he told reporters at a Sept. 17 briefing in Beijing.
Abbott Laboratories, the maker of Similac infant formula, agrees ``that breastfeeding is the best form of infant nutrition and should be the first choice of babies,'' said Tracey Noe, a spokeswoman for the Abbott Park, Illinois-based company. ``Iron- fortified infant formula is the only safe, nutritional and recommended alternative when breast milk is not an option. Infant formula provides a superior alternative to less-healthy, home-based breast milk substitutes such as raw cow's milk or rice water.''
Calls to Nestle and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., the New York- based maker of Enfamil, weren't immediately returned.
China pulled more than 7,000 metric tons of tainted dairy products from shops and the government will carry out ``forceful'' measures to deal with the chemical contamination, newly appointed chief quality supervisor Wang Yong said in a statement today. The number of infants hospitalized since the scandal began Sept. 10 has increased to 12,892, with 104 in a serious condition, the Ministry of Health said this week.
``The situation is still evolving,'' WHO's Chan said. ``We don't know the full extent of things.''
Supermarket Chain
The Philippines' largest supermarket chain yesterday said it removed all liquid milk and soymilk imported from China. Singapore and Taiwan have banned all dairy products from China. Nestle has recalled a product in Hong Kong and Marudai Food Co. pulled others in Japan.
Chan, a former director of health in Hong Kong and the first person from China to lead a United Nations agency, said the scandal shows ``the impact and power of globalization'' in food distribution and ``highlights the importance of seamless cooperation from farm to consumer.''
``Food and drug safety is an issue not only for developing countries -- it happens worldwide,'' Chan said. ``Even some of the substandard drugs are made in developed countries.''
To contact the reporter on this story: Jason Gale in Manila at j.gale@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: September 24, 2008 06:26 EDT

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=a2vuxUAv62fg

 

[Commonground]

Re: Melamine in Food - Worldwide

HK to test meat, veg for melamine
Oct 21, 2008 10:25 PM

Hong Kong will soon begin testing meat, vegetables and processed food for melamine, a move that underlines concerns about environmental contamination and food safety, experts say.

Thousands of children in China fell sick with kidney problems in recent months after consuming milk that had been mixed with the plastic-making industrial chemical to cheat quality tests. Four of them died.

It has since emerged that cyromazine, a derivative of melamine, is widely used in pesticides and animal feed in China, and experts say it is absorbed in plants as melamine and that the chemical is already in the human food chain.

However, no one knows how much melamine is absorbed into raw foods such as meat and vegetables, and experts hope Hong Kong's tests on vegetables and meat will shed some light.

"It's possible there may be contamination from pesticides ... and there is some concern about vegetables and animal feed," Kwan Hoishan, a biologist at the Chinese University and member of a government-backed task force working on the melamine problem in Hong Kong, said.

"We have no idea about the level of contamination in meat and vegetables ... it's hard to say if (such levels of) melamine are harmful to human health, they would first have to be tested."

Hong Kong imposed a cap on melamine last month, restricting it to no more than 2.5 milligrams per kilogramme, while melamine found in food meant for children under 3 and lactating mothers should be no higher than 1 mg per kg.

Experts' opinions are mixed on the effects of constant exposure very low levels of melamine.

"If it causes environmental contamination (gets into food) through pesticides, the harm should not be too much. Unless you eat a lot of it," said Ng Chi-fai, a urologist at the Chinese University in Hong Kong.

But others worry about long term exposure.

"It would be easier to ban melamine at all levels to stop this," said Chan King-ming, associate professor of biochemistry at the Chinese University.

Source: Reuters

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/2219836