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Melamine Scandal Continues to Expand

More tainted food found in markets around the world

By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs.com

October 8, 2008

• Chemnutra Owners Sentenced for Melamine-Tainted Pet Food • Virginia Child's Kidney Problems May Be Due to Melamine-Tainted Candy • Chinese Companies Pay $160 Million Over Melamine Scandal • Topaz Wafer Rolls Recalled on Melamine Fears • Melamine Triggers Recall of Cocoa from Canada • Vietnam Company Recalls Biscuits Due to Melamine • USDA Will Test Meat Products for Melamine • Melamine Found in Walgreens Chocolate Bars • Chinese Infant Death Toll from Tainted Formula Rises • Some Melamine in Infant Formula is OK, FDA Says • FDA Finds Melamine in U.S. Infant Formula • FDA Blocks Chinese Products Over Melamine Fears • Melamine Scandal Continues to Expand • FDA's Melamine Decision Scares Consumers • DeLauro Raps FDA On Melamine Risk Guidelines • FDA Issues Report On Melamine and Food Safety • Melamine-Tainted Chinese Candy Shows Up in U.S. • Hershey's Says Chocolates Are Safe from Chinese Melamine Scandal • Cadbury Recalls Chinese-Made Chocolates Due to Melamine • Melamine Scare Spreads to Mr. Brown Coffee • Chinese Gorillas Fall Ill as Melamine Scandal Widens • FDA Updates Chinese Infant Formula Warning • Asian Baby Death Toll From Infant Formula Rises • FDA Issues Warning on Chinese-Made Infant Formula

The tentacles of the melamine-tainted milk scandal--blamed for the deaths of four children in China and the illnesses of more than 53,000 others--continue to stretch around the world.

The latest products implicated in this scare are Blue Cat Flavor drinks sold in Asian markets in the United States and Oreo wafers, Snickers, and M&M's imported from China to Indonesia.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed it found melamine in Blue Cat Flavor Drinks. Based on those findings, the U.S. company that distributes the drinks has recalled all the 100 ml plastic bottles of the products.

Tristar Food of New Jersey distributed the drink --which is also called Lanmao-- to Asian grocery stores nationwide. The bottles have a logo of a blue cat on the back and words "blue cat" written in Chinese in on the front.

Four flavors are involved this recall--strawberry, sweet orange, pineapple, and peach.

In related news, Indonesia's Food and Drug Monitoring Agency said the snack treats Oreos, Snickers, and M&M's imported to their country from China have tested positive for melamine.

That agency, which also found melamine in dozens of other products, recalled the snacks.

Kraft Foods and Mars said they are surprised by the findings because the products tested negative for any melamine in other Asian countries.

"In the last two weeks, AQSIQ (the Chinese food safety watchdog) tested product samples of Mars China's milk powder suppliers and informed Mars China that all such samples were free of melamine," Mars said in a written statement. "Mars is extremely surprised about the recent announcement that tests conducted by the BPOM, the Indonesian regulatory authority, have shown that M&Ms and Snickers products made in China contain melamine."

"Mars China does not source milk or any other ingredients for any of its products from any company which has been found to be selling melamine contaminated dairy products," the company added.

In a written statement, Kraft said, "There have been questions about the ingredients used in our Oreo products made in China. Oreo products do not contain Chinese milk ingredients, no matter where they are made or sold." That includes products in the United States, the company emphasized.

The Oreos sold in China look different than those in the United States. They are long, thin, four-layered cookies that are coated in chocolate.

Kraft and Mars said they will honor Indonesia's recall action, but will also investigate the possibility that the tainted products might be counterfeit.

Korean officials also said they recently found trace amounts of melamine in one sample of Snickers Peanut Bar Funsize snacks and one sample of M&M's Milk Chocolate Candies.

Officials discovered the melamine levels in the M&M's were 2.38 parts per million (ppm) and 1.78ppm in the Snickers bars. Those levels, they said, do not pose a health risk.

The FDA agrees. On Monday, the FDA said levels of melamine below 2.5 parts per million (ppm) in food are not risky to humans. The only exception is infant milk.

The FDA said it is "currently unable to establish any level of melamine and melamine-related compounds in infant formula that does not raise public health concerns. There is too much uncertainty to set a level in infant formula and rule out any public health concern."

"It is important to understand that this does not mean that any exposure to any detectable level of melamine and melamine–related compounds in formula will result in harm to infants," the agency added.

These latest reports comes just weeks after Chinese officials discovered melamine in powered infant formula made it that country.

Officials learned some dairy plants may have intentionally added melamine to milk products to make them appear to have higher protein levels.

Melamine is a chemical used to make plastic and fertilizers. Doctors say melamine can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure.

It is blamed for the illnesses and deaths of thousands of dogs and cats in the United States last year.

In recent weeks, the melamine contamination has spread from infant formula to dozens of other food products sold around the world, including candy, coffee, and pretzels.

The FDA has beefed up its testing for melamine in products imported from China that contain milk or milk-ingredients.

Those products include candies, desserts, beverages, whole milk powder, non-fat milk powder, whey powder, lactose powder, and casein.

The FDA said it is not aware of any illnesses in the United States linked to any Chinese-made milk products.

FDA officials have also assured consumers the infant formula made in the United States is safe. Those companies are not importing formula or sourcing milk-based materials from China, the agency said.

But officials warn consumers not to buy any Chinese-made infant formula. These products are often sold in Asian markets across the country.

In recent weeks, FDA officials have inspected more than 1,800 Asian markets nationwide and not found any Chinese infant formula on store shelves.

Melamine, however, has surfaced in other Chinese-made products that contain milk or power-milk ingredients. Officials have discovered those tainted products in the United States and other countries around the world.

Meanwhile, the FDA said it will continue to screen imported products for melamine contamination.

"If products are adulterated because they contain melamine and/or a melamine-related compound, the agency will take appropriate actions to prevent the products from entering commerce," the FDA said in a written statement.

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