31 More Batches Of Chinese Milk Tainted

Beijing Says Chemical Melamine Found In More Food Products, Widening Global Scandal

(AP)  An additional 31 batches of Chinese milk powder were found contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine, China's government said Wednesday, further broadening a scandal affecting products ranging from baby formula to chocolate.

The contamination has been blamed for the deaths of four children and kidney ailments among 54,000 others. More than 13,000 children have been hospitalized and 27 people arrested in connection with the tainting.

The new figure, seen on the food safety administration's Web site, brings to at least 100 the number of tested batches of milk powder found to contain melamine. A previous round of testing, results of which were posted on Sept. 16, found melamine in 69 milk powder batches. Dozens of brands sold by more than a score of dairy firms, including some of China's biggest names, have been among those tested.

Tests have also found melamine in 24 batches of liquid milk produced by three of the country's best known dairy firms.

It was a national holiday in China and product safety officials could not be reached for comment.

The Web site quoted the State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine as saying it had tested 265 batches produced by 154 different companies prior to Sept. 14. China has a total of 290 companies making powdered milk, the administration said.

In the most recent tests, nine of the batches containing melamine were produced by the company at the center of the scandal, Sanlu, a 43 percent stake of which is owned by New Zealand dairy cooperative Fonterra. No date for the testing was given.

Melamine, which is high in nitrogen, is used to make plastics and fertilizers and experts say some amount of the chemical may be transferred from the environment during food processing. But in China's case, suppliers trying to boost output are believed to have diluted their milk, adding melamine because its nitrogen content can fool tests aimed at verifying protein content.

Melamine can cause kidney stones, leading to kidney failure. Infants are particularly vulnerable.

Levels of melamine discovered in batches tested varied widely, from as much as 6,196 milligrams per kilogram to as little 1.3 milligrams per kilogram. Chinese health officials have said no harm comes from consuming less than 0.63 milligrams per kilogram.

The scandal was worsened by an apparent cover-up by companies involved and the ignoring by safety officials of tips and warnings from parents and doctors. Top Sanlu executives and government officials in the northern city of Shijiazhuang, where the company is based, have been forced to resign.

Also on Wednesday, Hong Kong's food safety agency said its tests have found melamine in a Japanese brand's Chinese-made cheesecake.

The Centre for Food Safety said a sample of Lotte Cream Cheese Cake manufactured by Japan's Lotte China Foods Co. Ltd in mainland China was found to contain melamine.

Hong Kong and Macau authorities earlier detected excessive melamine in Lotte's popular Koala's March chocolate and strawberry cream cookies.

[lovesamerica]

But it''s cheaper right?

[pollroller1]

Posted by pollroller1 at 01:22 PM : Oct 01, 2008

It doesn''''t matter whether it says it was "made in the USA or not. The "ingredients" can come from wherever, and as long as it was "put together" in the U.S., they can say it was "made in the U.S.".

Posted by erasmus81 at 01:50 PM : Oct 01, 2008
------------------
I agree, There really is no way to know where stuff we eat comes from. It is a d a m n shame that we have to be exposed to this poison.

[erasmus81]

Posted by pollroller1 at 01:22 PM : Oct 01, 2008

It doesn''t matter whether it says it was "made in the USA or not. The "ingredients" can come from wherever, and as long as it was "put together" in the U.S., they can say it was "made in the U.S.".

[pollroller1]

Well here is something interesting, I just checked the dog food cans labels. The dog food that I WAS feeding our dog says "distributed in the USA." The dog food that I got from the vet says "made in the USA." As I said before the little fellow had kidney stones and I think that they came from his food.

[erasmus81]

Let''s get REAL. No one is going to do anything. This has been going on for how long? People are LAZY. If people were phoning or writing companies and DEMANDING to know what ingredients were in things, they would start finding out. If people were to stop buying products from China, things would change. But like I said, people are just too lazy to do it. People have a tendency to not believe what they don''t actually see. So unless they get sick, or someone they know gets sick or dies, they AIN''T going to do nothing about it.

[nothappyatall]

Maybe now the solution to this ongoing bullchit is regulating the manufacturers of this melamine as if it was a regulated pharmaceutical- logging and recording the amounts manufactured, who it is shipped to and where it is being used.
This is ridiculous how this just keeps going on and on- if these morons are misusing this stuff they are buying it from somewhere- time to clamp down on the manufacturers of it.

[pollroller1]

Our dog just got home from the vet. He had kidney stones. I can''t prove it but I think these stones came from his food. There is just no way to know where the ingredients came from. Poor little fellow. He is doing much better now, but he was in a lot of pain.

[riddelup]

This from the BFDA not the date.
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 09/23/2008 11:11 AM
The Bureau of Food and Drugs has banned the import and sale of Chinese milk products due to the melamine contamination crisis.

%u201C...in the interest of protecting public health and welfare, directing all licensed importers and/or distributors of registered milk products sourced from China to immediately stop temporarily from further importing distributing, selling and offering for sale the aforesaid products,%u201D said BFAD in an advisory dated September 22.
Also note the label doesn''t have to say made in China if it is processed cooked, or combined with another product. Heck their lobbyist must be as good as the banks''.

[usclimey]

This is the sort of thing we can look forward to here if McCain and the deregulation mafia win in November.

[joechristine]

Sorry,i make somthing wrong.
I correct here. "If Americans are rich enough to afford to buy products made in Europe and USA,Credibility2''s ideas may be good".

[afmca]

TheVicar1 - read BlackYowe''s comment more closely .. it says milk PRODUCTS. There have already been related products pulled from American shelves because of this contaminated milk so it is a potential issue. Cadbury Chocolates just announced a recall because of possible tainted powdered milk from China so it is in the American food chain.

Lead Toys, bad prescriptions, sick milk .. I think it is time to rethink our reliance on China for our products.

[joechristine]

Credibility2:
If Americans are rich enough to afford to buy products made in Europe and China,your iders may be good.But USA need China''s money to consume wastefully.Plus,Americans'' pockets are getting wizened,especially when finance tsunami is soaring.Despite the country''s inexperience in the financial sector, China has a rare trump card: mountains of cash.China''s big banks have escaped the credit catastrophe largely unscathed, and the economy continues to expand briskly.

[erasmus81]

"Chill out, BlackY, we dont buy any milk from China. Its illegal to import dairy products from China...take a pill"

They are smuggling the milk in through the chocolate bars.

[thevicar1]

There is no market for American milk but we buy tainted milk products from China? --------------------------------------------------- Posted by BlackYowe


Chill out, BlackY, we dont buy any milk from China. Its illegal to import dairy products from China...take a pill

[joechristine]

Change!Change!China is transfering into the right track!I believe it!

[credibility2]

Here''s a quick fix and definitive way to end this concern: immediately cease any trade relations with this or any other country, this would also include Mexico, countries in South America, etc. We don''t need any of these dangerous and toxic products. Let''s get back to basics and utilize our own manufacturers for these types of products. Never mind that the US interests associated with these countries will be supposedly adversely affected. Too bad. This is what comes of global trade and trashing our own work force and economy.

[blackyowe]

Meanwhile back in America dairy farms continue to close by the thousands. Is there no end to the greed? There is no market for American milk but we buy tainted milk products from China?

[notopennshut]

When will people learn that NOTHING from China is safe? From manufactured products, even shoes, toys to pet food and food for human consumption, NOTHING IS SAFE!!! When even the Chinese themselves, in China, no less, prefer to buy goods made in foreign lands (when they can afford it), you know that they themselves do not trust their own country. Do a survey of the population in China and you will find that majority will tell you that this is what they prefer. Sure , things made in the west are obviously more expensive due to labor costs and other reasons, but there is at least a certainty of some safety - not totally, but acceptable. It is time to boycott all products of and from China. They will then learn that it does not pay to disregard safety issues. If one is willing to sacrifice our life or that of our loved ones for cheaper goods, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

[pirmin3]

Don''t buy any Chinese *** and problem solved. China will poison anyone for a profit and their government gets bribed to let it happen.

[thevicar1]

SOLUTION TO PROBLEM:

Step 1, DONT go to China

Step 2, If you MUST go to China, DONT drink the milk!!!

Problem solved...


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