Chinese melamine scandal widens

[jannyk]

Source: BBC

The toxic chemical melamine is probably being routinely added to Chinese animal feed, state media has reported. Correspondents say the unusually frank reports in several news outlets are an admission that contamination could be widespread throughout the food chain.

Four brands of eggs have since been found to be contaminated, and agriculture officials speculate that the cause was probably melamine-laced feed given to hens.

Several state newspapers carried reports on Thursday suggesting that the addition of melamine to animal feed was widespread.

The feed industry seems to have acquiesced to agree on using the chemical to reduce production costs while maintaining the protein count for quality inspections," the state-run China Daily said in an editorial. "We cannot say for sure if the same chemical has made its way into other types of food," the newspaper added. The practice of mixing melamine into animal feed is an "open secret" in the industry, the Nanfang Daily reported.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7701477.stm

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How much of that animal feed is making its way over here? And who is supplying all the fucking Melamine?

[enlightenment]

1. According to this Wikipedia article,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melamine

China manufactures more than they need, which is apparently why it's finding its way into places it shouldn't go:

Recent production of melamine in mainland China

Between the late 1990s and early 2000s, both consumption and production of melamine grew considerably in mainland China. In the United States Geological Survey 2004 Minerals Survey Yearbook, in a report on worldwide nitrogen production, the author stated that "(mainland) China continued to plan and construct new ammonia and urea plants using coal gasification technology."<38>

By early 2006, melamine production in mainland China is reported to be in "serious surplus".<39> In April 2007, DSM's melamine industry update painted a grave global picture.<40> Between 2002 and 2007, while the global melamine price remained stable, a steep increase in the price of urea (feedstock for melamine) has reduced the profitability of melamine manufacturing. Currently, China is the world's largest exporter of melamine, while its domestic consumption still grows by 10% per year. However, reduced profit has already caused other joint melamine ventures to be postponed there.

Surplus melamine has been a popular adulterant for feedstock and baby formula in mainland China for several years now, because it can make diluted or poor quality material appear to be higher in protein content by elevating the total nitrogen content detected by some simple protein tests.

It is used for a variety of things, from plastics to dye (specifically, "Pigment Yellow 150, a colorant in inks and plastics" - from the article above).

Edited to remove a misplaced apostrophe! *and again to add the 'd' to misplace . . . I think I need more coffee . . .*

[Liberal Elitist]

2. It was here in 2007 in pet food - thousands of cats died...

..and the FDA eventually acted and on 27 April 2007 US FDA subjected all vegetable proteins imported from China, intended for human or animal consumption, to detention without physical examination.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_pet_food_recalls

and www.itcho.com

[eleny]

4. Another example of deregulation

[AndyTiedye]

3. Kicked onto the "Greatest" Page

:kick:

[Patiod]

5. Have they found problems in protein bars

My boss lives on the things, and is comforted by the fact that they are manufacturered in America. But I am concerned that some of the protein might be purchased from China.

A quick Google search reveals nothing - wonder if anyone has read anything...

[Oregone]

10. A lot of nutritional items come from China

They have tiny manufacturing costs and smaller companies save a bundle outsourcing.

Most protein though is manufactured domestically because of how much it weighs. The shipping/storage costs wouldn't justify outsourcing protein production.

[Azlady]

6. So there eggs are bad, does that mean

that anything made in China with egg product... ie, noodles, pasta, baking goods, could make it here?

[Zuiderelle]

9. It means that OUR eggs are bad if our chickens are fed with their feed.

This is really not good at all.

[loudsue]

7. It has been found in Kraft cheese, Snickers bars, milk, etc.

It is getting into all of our food, it seems, these days. I don't understand why we even trade with the Chinese! They are a communist, totalitarian state, and there are NO controls, and they view people as dispensable, since they have so damned many of them.

I have nothing against the Chinese people. But until their government starts doing a better job of controlling the poisons going into food, and cleans up their human rights problems, we should stay the hell out of there, and keep their stuff out of our country.

If we stopped trade with them, I promise their government would find some way to stop their poisoning of food.

[crikkett]

11. loudsue's contradictory statements make my head spin

a totalitarian state has no controls?

[Zuiderelle]

8. Oh wow, now we have to worry about getting it from our own products, because of what our products...

are eating! Wow. That's just awful.