U.S. Vigilant Over Tainted Chinese Milk

No Trace Of Tainted Formula Has Shown Up Yet, But Authorities Taking Extra Precautions

(CBS/AP)  Although no trace of infant formula from China has turned up in this country, U.S. authorities said Friday they are taking added precautions to keep out tainted milk products.

The Food and Drug Administration has widened its inspections at ports of entry to focus on shipments of bulk food ingredients from Asia that are derived from milk, such as milk concentrate and whole milk powder. Spokeswoman Judy Leon also said the agency will issue an alert this weekend warning consumers not to buy milk products from China on the Internet.

China's food safety crisis widened after the industrial chemical melamine was found in milk produced by three of the country's leading dairy companies - prompting stores, including Starbucks, to yank milk from their shelves.

The recalls come as evidence is mounting that adding chemicals to watered-down milk was a widespread practice in China's dairy industry.

The chief financial officer of one of the companies, Mengniu, apologized Friday for the tainted milk. But he insisted only a small portion of the company's inventory had been contaminated and said the tainted milk came from small-scale dairy farmers.

"Large-scale milk farms are very disciplined. They won't take the risk to do something like that," Yao Tongshan told reporters in Hong Kong.

The crisis was initially thought to have been confined to tainted milk powder, used to make baby formula that has been blamed in the deaths of four infants and for sickening 6,200 other children.

But tests found melamine in samples of liquid milk taken from China's two largest dairy producers, Mengniu Dairy Group Co. and Yili Industrial Group Co., as well as Shanghai-based Bright Dairy. The chemical, which is used in plastics and fertilizers, can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure.

Melamine is the same chemical involved in last year's massive pet food recall. In that case, it had been added to bulk pet food ingredients imported from China. But an ongoing national investigation focusing on Asian community markets has turned up no infant formula from China here.

"In conjunction with state and local authorities, we have inspected more than 1,000 retail outlets and have found not one single can of Chinese infant formula," said Leon.

Nonetheless, the agency plans to issue an advisory Saturday warning consumers not to buy milk products from China on the Internet. "We know it's possible to purchase Chinese products on the Internet, and we want to make sure people do not purchase infant formula or any product containing milk or milk derivatives," said Leon.

Infant formula is closely regulated here, and no Chinese companies have approval to export to the United States. China is an importer of milk, and so it's also unlikely that any milk products from China would turn up in this country.

Nonetheless, Leon said the FDA is sampling bulk shipments of milk-derived products from Asia for possible contamination with melamine or other banned ingredients. The products being tested include whole milk powder, whey powder, milk concentrate, lactose, casein protein, and other milk derivatives.

[dareader]

Warning... The Melamine contamination HAS made it to U.S. store shelves. I just read this on CBS News... "Singapore said Sunday that it had found traces of melamine in another Chinese-made dairy product, milk-based White Rabbit brand candy."

Does anyone realize that White Rabbit brand candy is for sale in every oriental market, all across the U.S.?

Has anyone figured out that U.S. Citizens make purchases at these stores, as well as Asian residents?

If you want my opionion... It HAS reached America. Thank you, China... NOT!

[brainteaser2]

Why would we import milk or milk products from China. In Wisconsin, California & New York alone we produce enough milk to float battle ships. Once again I smell the corruption of greed. Why screw the American dairy farmer for junk from China when we have farmers dumping milk here due to over abundance. Next I suppose we''ll be importing cheese from china - YUK.

[Meg003]

I agree with the posters who say we should have better labeling. I have learned that our apple juice is now being made with apples from China and other countries. Given a choice, I would pay more for dairy, juice and other foods from the United States.

[msay3]

What a great way to kill us all. We arnt safe anymore, its just a matter of time before the masses get sick over some food that the US allows from China. The Chinese arent stupid, they know what they are doing. They are probably just practicing for the big one.


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Posted by onlythereal at 11:20 AM : Sep 20, 2008
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Yep, China is winning WW III without firing a shot...

[msay3]

Too bad the U.S. wasn''t diligent when the tainted dog food showed up, the lead paint in children''s toys and the too many to list other products that come from that slimy country called China....

[yongamerica]

China is an importer of milk, and so it''s also unlikely that any milk products from China would turn up in this country.

The Food and Drug Administration has widened its inspections at ports of entry to focus on shipments of bulk food ingredients from Asia that are derived from milk, such as milk concentrate and whole milk powder.

What a contradiction! Just like the Chinese protein additive that went mainly into agricultural and pet foods, these contaminated Chinese milk products have also tainted ALL of the American nations dry and concentrated dairy products supply, from Canada to Argentina. The BIG question is: How long has this practice been going on before it was expanded into infant formulas?

O.K., so China is not importing milk itself to US. What about products that CONTAIN milk? Cookies anyone?

While we are at it, product labeling needs to be updated to reflect the SPIRIT of truth. We no longer need to know that an item was assembled in USA, but that it was BUILT in China [or wherever].

[thee0racle]

we do check our food and toiletry item labels and reject items ''made in China''. Beware, however, items that read: ''distributed by (some American Company)''as the source information is intentionally omitted. Our gov''t may want us to THINK we are being protected. The ultimate protection would be to mandate all goods be labelled for their source of manufacture. Same with produce. There should be a labeling requirement for the country of origin. Anything less we could equate to the same secrecy that allows crimes like this to perpetuate.

[spiritwalk]

Before you use up all your anger over tainted milk from China you should be aware that it is happening here as well.
There have been cases in the US of dairy farmers adding water mixed with salts to milk shipments in order to seemingly increase the amount of milk sold.
I am not a chemist, but as I understand it, before homogenization it is normal for water and salt to seperate and if the added water and salt are kept below a certain level they get away with it.
If you do a web search on foods produced in the US you will find a lot of this kind of thing goes on and the USDA only catches it when it is incredibly blatant or people get sick.

[txpatriot4us]

Why on earth do we allow any shipments of foods from China? Every day another tainted product is discovered and yet the US continues to allow it. WHY?
My solution is to Buy American period, from tools and building supplies to all food stuffs. Support The USA the job you save may be your own, the life you save may be your Childs!