CHINESE DAIRY PRODUCTS DETAINED
Candy, snacks, bakery products, pet food and other Chinese products that contain milk will now be detained at the border until tests prove that they are not contaminated.
There is concern about such products being contaminated with the toxic chemical melamine. Visit my Nov. 3, blog for more on this subject. Melamine was found in infant formula in September and has sickened more than 50,000 infants in China and killed at least four.
Melamine contamination has now broadened. It has now been found in milk, eggs and fish feed. Several products sold in specialty products sold in Asian stores have been recalled. They include a nondairy creamer and Mr. Brown brands of tea and instant coffee, yogurt, frozen desserts, biscuits, chocolates, and cookies.
Chinese shrimp may be added to the banned list because it is breaded with dairy products. Chinese supplements, protein powders and shakes may be included since they are made with powdered milk. It probably should include egg and fish products since animal feed has been found to be contaminated with melamine,
Unscrupulous food and feed dealers in China added melamine to their products because it increases nitrogen content to give the appearance in testing that protein levels are adequate. Because it dissolves poorly, melamine can block the body's filtering system, potentially leading to kidney failure and death.
The products are now held up at the border and tested for melamine and cyanuric which is another contaminant found in this scandal.
This alert might last a long time, since importers must prove that every shipment is free of contamination. It's hard to get off the alert list quickly.
Clearly, the problems involving melamine in China are significantly deeper than F.D.A. would have us believe.
Source NY Times Nov. 13, 2008
Visit my blog of Nov.3, on this melamine subject ,and of course ,visit www.drneedles for more medical blogs on controversial medical subjects.
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