China Sends Mixed Messages on Food Safety
The recent seizure of 76 tons of melamine-tainted dairy products in China has again sparked concern over the country's food safety system.
While it remains unclear whether the recently-seized dairy was left over from previous incidents, or a new batch, or whether any illnesses have been connected to the dairy, Chinese government officials sought to assuage worries last week, again pledging to improve enforcement of newly revamped food safety laws.
"China attaches great importance to food safety, particularly dairy quality and safety," Deputy Secretary for Health Supervision Chen Rui told reporters at a recent conference at the Ministry of Health. "The ministry will continue to organize the national dairy safety standards to track evaluations, listen to the food production companies and consumer opinion, and constantly revise and improve the national dairy safety standards."
Striking another tone, a senior Chinese health official said last Monday that more food safety incidents, like melamine-tainted milk scandals, are likely given China's size and unbalanced development.
"With such a huge territory and population in China, it's hard to avoid all food safety threats and to put all unscrupulous businessmen under scrutiny," said Su Zhi, director of the health supervision bureau under the Ministry of Health at an international food safety forum last week. Su also said the Chinese government would investigate every food safety incident and punish responsible parties.
Xinhua, an official Chinese media outlet, reported that Su refused to comment on whether the recently seized dairy products were leftovers from the 2008 scandal, which sickened over 300,000 and killed six infants.
After a 10-day food safety raid last February, which turned up more melamine-laced milk, the Chinese government announced that most of the tainted milk had been destroyed.
Melamine is an industrial chemical used in many plastic products. The chemical is an attractive means of economic adulteration for milk producers because it makes watered-down, low quality milk appear to have a higher protein content in certain tests. When ingested, melamine can cause bladder or kidney stones, bladder cancer, and acute kidney failure.
China's national food safety office responded to the recent melamine raid by announcing it will restart a nationwide overhaul of milk powder, including its source, manufacturing, storage, and sales, according to Xinhua.
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07/19/2010
11:59AM
From the Chinese infant formula recall of 2008, melamine, it's
not just in milk products. Listing of actual food types and label ingredients recalled for possible melamine contamination
in 2008 in Asia and around the world:
List of melamine suspect foods:
baby food
baby milk powder products
bakery goods (cakes, cookies, crackers,
cream buns)
baking mixes
beef (from animal feed)
biscuits (aka cookies, crackers)
bread
body-building supplements
butter
buttermilk
cake
candies
celery
cheese
cheese sauces
chips (coated with cheese, sour cream)
chicken (from animal feed)
chocolate candy bars
chocolate chip cookies
chocolate milk
chocolates
coffee beverages (canned)
coffee creamer or whitener
colostrum (clinical product)
confectioners cookies
cooked pasta
condensed milk
cookies
corn, minced
corn, organic cracked
crackers
creamers
cream products
creams
creamy candies
dairy-based candies
dairy-based desserts
dips
dressings
drinking yogurt
eggs
fish raised on farms (from animal feed)
formula milk powder
frozen confections
frozen desserts
goats (from animal feed)
ham
hogs (from animal feed)
hydrolysates (clinical product)
ice cream
infant formula
infant milk powder
instant coffee (containing nondairy creamer
vegetable protein)
instant coffee drinks (containing milk products)
lamb (from animal feed)
mayonnaise (possible egg products)
milk (fresh, papaya beverages, chocolate
and strawberry flavored)
milk beverage
milk candy
milk coffee beverages
milk drink
milk powder
milk raw
milk tablets
milk tea (containing nondairy creamer
vegetable protein)
mooncakes
non-dairy creamer
noodles
nutritional powder products
pastries
plastic packaging (which may leach melamine
into foods)
pork (from animal feed)
pork buns
poultry (from animal feed)
probiotics (clinical product)
protein bars
powdered tea drinks
raw milk
rice balls
salad dressing (with egg products)
salad dressings (creamy)
sauces
sausages
seasoning (with egg products)
sheepmeats (from animal feed)
shrimp raised on farms (from animal feed)
snack flavorings
snack foods
soup chicken-and-corn (containing nondairy
creamer vegetable protein)
soups
sour cream
sports drinks (especially high protein)
stews
sweets (aka candies)
tempura (added Oct. 29 08)
toffees
ultra heat treated (UHT) milk
vegetables including:
lettuce
tomato
mushroom
potato
Java waterdropwort
watercress
cabbage
garlic
peas
mixed frozen
tomato paste
vegetables (sprayed with pesticides
cyromazine or Veterzine)
vegetarian ham (added Oct. 29 08)
whipping cream
white chocolate
yogurt
yogurt drinks
yogurt ice bars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
List of melamine suspect label ingredients:
albumen powder
ammonium bicarbonate
anhydrous milk fat
buttermilk powder
calcium caseinate
casein
casein derivatives
caseinate
cereal flours
cheese concentrate
cheese powder
cocoa powder
condensed milk (added Oct. 28 08)
condensed whey (added Oct. 28 08)
corn by-products
corn gluten
corn gluten meal
corn, minced
corn, organic cracked
corn meal
corn protein
cottonseed meal
dairy
dairy powder
demineralized/partially demineralized whey powders (Oct. 28 08)
dried egg powder
dried milk (added Oct. 28 08)
dried skim milk
duck's yolk powder
egg powder
flavor additives
fermented soy powder
frozen gluten
lactalbumin
lactoferrin
lactose
lactose powder
liquid milk
malt extract
milk
milk derivative
milk fat
milk protein
milk protein concentrate aka (MPC)
milled wheat
milled rice
mung bean protein
non-dairy
non-dairy creamer
non-fat dry milk
nonfat milk powder
permeate powder (added Oct. 28 08)
plant proteins (corn protein, soy protein)
powdered baking ammonia
powdered milk
powdered milk protein
prepared edible fat
protein powder (added Oct. 29 08)
rice flour
rice gluten
rice meal
milled rice products
rice protein
rice protein concentrate
skim milk
skim milk powder
sodium caseinate
sodium caseinate (a milk derivative)
soy bean Meal/Powder/Gluten/Protein Isolate
soybean meal
soy gluten
soy isoflavone
soy meal
soy protein
soy protein powder
soya milk product
ultrafiltered concentrates
vegetable protein
vegetable protein products
vegetable protein meat extenders
wheat flour
wheat flour gluten
wheat gluten
wheat gluten, vital
wheat meal
wheat starch
whey
whey powder
whey protein
whey protein concentrate
whole milk powder
yolk liquid
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