More Poison News Out of China

[Zach]

Tainted Feed Kills 1, 500 Chinese Dogs Bred for Fur

October 20, 2008
Tainted Feed Kills 1, 500 Chinese Dogs Bred for Fur

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 9:20 a.m. ET

BEIJING (AP) -- Some 1,500 dogs bred for their raccoon-like fur have died after eating feed tainted with the same chemical that contaminated dairy products and sickened tens of thousands of babies nationwide, a veterinarian said Monday.

The raccoon dogs -- a breed native to east Asia whose fur is used to make trim on coats and other clothing -- were fed a product that contained the chemical melamine and developed kidney stones, said Zhang Wenkui, a veterinary professor at Shenyang Agriculture University. All of the dogs died on farms in just one village.

Zhang determined that the animals died of kidney failure after performing a necropsy -- an animal autopsy -- on about a dozen dogs. He declined to say when the deaths occurred but a report Monday in the Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper said they had occurred over the past two months.

''First, we found melamine in the dogs' feed, and second, I found that 25 percent of the stones in the dogs' kidneys were made up of melamine,'' Zhang told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

The Southern Metropolis Daily also blamed the deaths of several hundred dogs on melamine, but it was not immediately clear how the chemical would have entered the raccoon dog feed. In the ongoing milk scandal, melamine was said to be added to watered-down milk to artificially boost nitrogen levels, making products seem higher in protein when tested.

The animal deaths raise questions about the extent of the chemical's presence in the country's food chain.

Melamine has been found in a wide range of Chinese-made dairy products and foods with milk ingredients over the past few months. The government is still trying to win back consumer confidence after those tainted products turned up on store shelves around the world.

Four Chinese babies' deaths have been blamed on infant formula that was laced with melamine. Some 54,000 other children were sickened.

Last year, melamine-tainted wheat gluten, a pet food ingredient made in China, was blamed for the deaths of dozens of dogs and cats in North America.

When ingested by humans, the industrial chemical -- used in plastics and fertilizers -- can cause kidney stones as the body tries to eliminate it and, in extreme cases, can lead to kidney failure. Infants are particularly susceptible.

Zhang said the company that produces the animal feed is in talks with breeders in Xishan, the village in Liaoning province where the dogs died, about providing compensation and has pressured them not to talk to the media.

Zhang did not give the company's name but the newspaper report said the feed was produced by Harbin Hualong Feed Co. The company refused to comment Monday, saying officials were unavailable because they were in a meeting.

An official surnamed Liu at the Liaoning provincial animal feed and medicine inspection center said the facility tested one sample of animal feed from Xishan and found that it contained about 500 parts per million of melamine. China's Health Ministry recently capped the amount of melamine permissible in milk, milk powder and food products that contain more than 15 percent dairy to 2.5 parts per million.

He said that the center was assisting the Ministry of Agriculture in a nationwide inspection of animal feed for similar contamination but would not give any other details.

The ministry did not respond to a list of faxed questions. Telephone calls to the agricultural department of the Ciyutuo county government, which oversees Xishan, rang unanswered.

China's products have been under intense scrutiny after high levels of industrial toxins were found last year in exports ranging from toothpaste to toys.

The milk scandal has resulted in recalls and the blocking of Chinese imports in numerous countries.

On Monday, Australia said it had ordered a recall of a milk drink and cake brand after tests showed they were contaminated with melamine.

Lydia Buchtmann, a spokeswoman for Food Standards Australia New Zealand, said Orion brand Tiramisu Italian Cake with Cheese Cream and Dali Yuan brand First Milk vanilla-flavored drink have been taken off store shelves.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-AS-China-Tainted-Milk.html

[okarol]

     WTF??

[Sluff]

Ridiculous. 

[Zach]

Will this nightmare ever got solved?



http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/world/asia/30china.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

The New York Times
October 30, 2008

More Tainted Eggs From China Found

By DAVID BARBOZA

SHANGHAI — Hong Kong officials said that for the second time in a week they have found a batch of eggs imported from China that contain high levels of melamine, the same industrial chemical that has been blamed for contaminating China’s milk supplies.

The announcement, which came late Tuesday from the territory’s food safety agency, is adding to growing concerns that melamine contamination may be more widespread in China’s food supplies than previously thought.

While Hong Kong officials cautioned that children and adults would have to consume a large number of tainted eggs in a single day to fall ill, the report is still another blow to China’s agriculture industry.

China is already struggling to cope with a milk scandal that has sickened over 50,000 children and caused the deaths of at least four infants this year after they consumed melamine-tainted baby milk formula. The victims suffered from kidney stones and other ailments. That case triggered a global recall of foods made with Chinese dairy products.

The Chinese government has tried to move boldly to deal with the crisis, promising to overhaul the nation’s food safety system, announcing dozens of arrests and sacking high-ranking government officials, including the head of the nation’s top quality inspection agency.

The government has blamed the dairy scandal on organized groups of scam artists who regulators say were intentionally adding melamine to milk as cheap filler in order to save money. Melamine is known to give feed and food an artificially high protein reading.

Chinese regulators say they are now investigating how melamine got into Chinese produced eggs. The government is also doing spots checks in supermarkets in some cities, such as Shanghai.

Zhang Zhongjun, an official in Beijing with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, said he met late Wednesday with officials from China’s Ministry of Agriculture and was told that they believed the problem eggs found in Hong Kong were probably contaminated by melamine-tainted animal feed.

But Mr. Zhang said the government told him the source of the contamination was still unclear. “It’s not clear where the problem is from,” he said. “It’s not clear whether the melamine was added by humans or by pollution.”

Some food safety officials say that if chicken feed is contaminated with melamine, it is possible some hog and fish feed could also be contaminated. The Chinese government has not made clear in recent weeks how broadly it is testing food products for melamine.

The chemical, which is used to produce some plastics and fertilizer, was blamed last year for contaminating Chinese feed ingredients that were exported to the United States and eventually sickened dogs and cats. The case led to a major pet food recall.

On Monday, Wal-Mart Stores said some of its stores had pulled the Hanwei brand of eggs from shelves in China as a precaution after the Hong Kong government finding.

The first batch of eggs that tested positive for high levels of melamine by the Hong Kong Center for Food Safety came from a company in Dalian, a city in northeast China. Officials from the region told the state-run Xinhua News Agency that the contamination may have come from local poultry farms.

According to a notice posted on the Web site of the Dalian Hanwei Food Co., regulators in Dalian first learned on Sept. 27 that some eggs from Hanwei were contaminated. The company said they were ordered to recall eggs and exports to Hong Kong were halted by regulators in early October.

The second batch of tainted eggs found in Hong Kong came from the Jingshan Agriproducts Company in Hubei province. In a telephone interview Wednesday, Pan Fengxia, the company’s general manager, admitted that eggs tested in Hong Kong were found to have higher levels of melamine than permitted.

But Ms. Pan said she did not know how they got contaminated. “I still don’t know what happened to the eggs,” she said. “I never heard that melamine was added into feed or my products — never.”

[Sluff]

This is getting ridiculous. I think it is a form of terrorism, but just my opinion.

[Romona]

That doesn't do much for consumer confidence there.

[pelagia]

Someone sent me this link today about CANDY in the US that may have melamine in it.  A link below takes you to pictures.

Dear MomsRising.org Member,

We want to give you a heads up about some Halloween candy that could be bad for kids: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers not to consume White Rabbit Creamy Candy or Koala's March Crème filled Cookies because they may contain melamine. (1)  And, the Canadian government is warning the public not to consume Sherwood Brands Pirate's Gold Milk Chocolate Coins, which may also have reached the U.S. (2)

What's wrong with these candies? You've likely heard about the dangerous chemical, melamine, which was recently found in the Chinese milk supply and sickened thousands of children in China.  We've now seen reports that melamine tainted milk has been used in some Chinese candy products that have been shipped to the United States. (3)

The good news is that Chinese candy makes up only 0.7% of the candy sold in the U.S. (4) and the risk of serious harm from minor exposure to melamine is considered low by the World Health Organization (5). That said, we wanted to send this out to you because we don't want our kids eating candy with any toxic ingredients.

*Please forward this email to friends, family, and your school email list so all can be on the lookout for this tainted candy on Halloween.  (And, if you're not already a member of MomsRising, please sign on now so we can keep you informed: http://www.momsrising.org/fighttoxins)

MomsRising has created a page where you can easily share this information with friends, as well as see pictures of the tainted candies, get more information, and download a flyer that you can post on your school or other community bulletin boards.  

See the Tainted Candy Pictures, Get the Flyer & Tell Friends Here: http://www.momsrising.org/melamine

Enjoy a safe and happy Halloween,

--Joan, Kristin, Katie and the MomsRising.org Team

1. http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/melamine.html

2. Here's the Canadian government's warning: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/2008/20081008e.shtml The Vancouver Globe and Mail: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081028.wlhalloween28/BNStory/lifeFamily/home  And an article in the Chicago Tribune: http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshealthclub/2008/10/chocolate-coins.html

3. From Consumer Reports: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/10/chinese_formula07.html, and Candy problem verified on Snopes: http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/coins.asp

4. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-09-24-melamine-china_N.htm

5. "Consumers exposed to tiny amounts of melamine shouldn't worry, says Angelika Tritscher of the World Health Organization. 'Melamine at low doses is actually not considered to be very toxic.'" Quote from: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-09-24-melamine-china_N.htm

[Zach]

"If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?"



November 1, 2008
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/01/world/asia/01china.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

China Widens Food Tests on Signs of New Contamination

By DAVID BARBOZA

SHANGHAI — Chinese regulators said Friday that they were widening their investigation into contaminated food amid growing signs that an industrial chemical called melamine had leached into the nation’s animal feed supplies, posing even deeper health risks to consumers after the recent tainted milk scandal.

The announcement came after food safety tests earlier this week found that eggs produced in three different provinces in China were contaminated with melamine, a chemical that is blamed for causing kidney stones and renal failure in infants. The tests have led to recalls of eggs and consumer warnings.

The reports are another serious blow to China’s agriculture industry, which is already struggling to cope with its worst food safety scandal in decades after melamine tainted milk supplies sickened over 50,000 children, caused at least four deaths and led to global recalls of goods produced with Chinese dairy products earlier this fall.

The cases are fueling global concerns about contaminated Chinese food. In Hong Kong, food safety officials announced this week that they would be testing a wider variety of foods for melamine, including vegetables, flour and meat products.

But food safety experts have also asked consumers to remain calm because while melamine-tainted milk has hospitalized thousands in China, there are no known cases thus far of consumers becoming seriously ill from eating melamine-tainted eggs.

Hong Kong officials said melamine was found in higher than permissible levels in eggs imported from China, but that a child would have to eat about two dozen eggs in a single day to become ill.

Still, if eggs, milk and animal feed supplies are tainted, there is the specter of an even wider array of foods that could come under scrutiny for contamination, everything from pork and chicken supplies to bread, biscuits, eggs, cakes and seafood.

While China is not a major exporter of dairy products, it has one of the world’s fastest-growing dairy industries and it is also one of the world’s largest exporters of food and food ingredients, including meats, seafood, beverages and vitamins.

Government investigators have blamed the dairy scandal on a group of rogue milk and melamine dealers who they accuse of intentionally adding melamine, which is commonly used to produce plastic and fertilizer, to milk supplies as cheap filler in order to save money.

High-ranking government officials, including the head of the nation’s quality watchdog, have been fired in the wake of the recalls and Beijing has acknowledged that “lax regulation” contributed to the scandal.

But interviews Friday, and over the past year, with several chemical dealers who sell melamine suggests that melamine scrap, the substantially cheaper waste left over after producing melamine, has been added to animal and fish feed in China for years.

“I heard some melamine dealers still sell to animal feed producers,” said Qin Huaizhen, manager at the Gaocheng Kaishun Chemical Co. in the city of Shijiazhuang, though he insisted he had never sold melamine to animal feed producers. “In Shandong province many animal feed manufacturers buy melamine scrap.”

Two other melamine dealers in east and south China said that only after the recent dairy scandal did government regulators crack down on the sale of melamine to animal feed producers, even though it was banned as an animal feed additive in July 2007.

Concerned that the food safety crisis could escalate, Shanghai and other cities are now testing a wide variety of food products for melamine, including fish and livestock feed.

Hong Kong food safety officials were the first to announce that eggs imported from China were also contaminated with high levels of melamine.

Now, state-run newspapers are publishing editorials in China calling for a full investigation into the use of melamine in food and feedstuffs.

Food safety experts, though, are perplexed as to how melamine was allowed to seep into China’s food supplies after melamine-tainted animal feed exports from China were blamed last year for sickening dogs and cats in the United States, touching off international trade and food safety disputes.

The pet food case led to a massive recall in the United States and other parts of the world and also sparked a lengthy food safety crackdown in China, as regulators closed thousands of illegal or substandard food factories and slaughterhouses.

Still, the Chinese government never made clear last year or even this year how extensively it had tested its own food supply for melamine, even though some melamine dealers acknowledged last year that melamine was commonly sold into the food and feed market.

Regulators in Beijing largely blamed the pet food case on a pair of small exporters. They had shipped feed contaminated with melamine in order to save money and cheat the buyers, the regulators said.

Several farmers and melamine scrap dealers said in interviews last year that melamine had been used for years in animal feed, particularly fish feed, and many producers believed melamine scrap was non-toxic and would not be harmful to humans.

Melamine dealers say the government crackdown on the sale to feed producers only occurred this year, after the Sanlu Group dairy company disclosed that its infant milk formula was tainted with melamine. That disclosure, which came in September, triggered a nationwide recall and government announcements that other major dairy brands were also selling melamine-contaminated milk.

“Before the Sanlu scandal, we were not banned from selling melamine to anyone,” Niu Qinglin, manager of the Hebei Jinglong Fengli Chemical Co., said in a telephone interview Friday. “I had heard melamine dealers sell melamine to animal feed companies and food companies; it was common before the Sanlu scandal.”

Mr. Niu, however, said he never sold melamine or melamine scrap to food or feed producers. And he noted that regulators had moved in on the trade. “Now, the government regulates that melamine cannot be sold to any animal feed manufacturers or food processing companies,” he said.

[Zach]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/14/business/worldbusiness/14fda.html?hp

The New York Times
November 14, 2008

F.D.A. Detains Chinese Imports for Testing

By ANDREW MARTIN and GARDINER HARRIS

Candy, snacks, cereal and any other products from China that contain milk will be detained at the border until tests prove that they are not contaminated, the federal government announced Thursday.

The Food and Drug Administration said that it had issued the alert because of concerns about Chinese products being contaminated with the toxic chemical melamine. Since September, more than 50,000 infants in China have become ill and at least four have died because they consumed tainted infant formula.

Since then, melamine has been found in a range of products, including milk, eggs and fish feed. Companies in the United States have recalled several products, including nondairy creamer and a type of candy, which are primarily sold in Asian markets, because of melamine concerns but to date the contamination here was not thought to be widespread.

“We’re taking this action because it’s the right thing to do for the public health,” said Dr. Steven Solomon, an F.D.A. deputy associate commissioner.

As a result, Chinese products that contain milk or milk powder will be detained until the manufacturer or its customer has the product tested and found to be free of contamination, or they show documentation indicating that the product does not contain milk or milk-derived ingredients.

“The burden shifts to the importer,” Dr. Solomon said.

F.D.A. analyses have detected melamine and cyanuric acid, another toxic chemical, in “a number of products that contain milk or milk-derived ingredients, including candy and beverages,” according to an alert that the agency sent to field personnel. The alert also noted that inspectors in 13 other countries had discovered melamine in Chinese products including milk, yogurt, frozen desserts, biscuits, chocolates and cookies.

The F.D.A. routinely blocks imports of individual food products, but it is rare for the agency to block an entire category of foods from a particular country. Last year, the F.D.A. blocked five types of farm-raised seafood as well as vegetable protein from China because of repeated instances of contamination from unapproved animal drugs and food additives.

Unscrupulous food and feed dealers in China add melamine to their products because it fools tests that measure protein levels. Because it dissolves poorly, melamine can block the body’s filtering system, potentially leading to kidney failure and death.

Dr. Solomon said that the alert would probably apply mostly to specialty products sold in Asian markets. But Benjamin England, a former lawyer at the F.D.A., described the latest alert as “massive” and said it could affect “a tremendous amount of goods.”

“It’s going to jam the ports up all up the supply chain,” said Mr. England, who represents food supply companies.

As a result of the earlier alerts on seafood and vegetable protein, most private laboratories that perform product tests for melamine already have long waiting lists, Mr. England said. And the F.D.A. takes three to four weeks to review submitted tests, Mr. England said.

Chinese producers of shrimp, for instance, recently started breading their product to avoid a controversy over an antidumping lawsuit, Mr. England said. But breading often contains dairy, and that product could be detained at ports.

The effect of the alert will probably be long-lasting, Mr. England said, because importers must prove that each and every shipment is free of contamination.

“It’s impossible to get off the alert list,” Mr. England said.

[paul.karen]

I agree with Sluff it is/could be a form of terrorism.

To many people think that China is our friend.
When in reality they are one of our biggest threats.  A nuclear threat that continues to throw BILLIONS of dollars into there armed forces.   One of there great leaders stated Long ago that they will sit idle.  Look innocent while building an army of unseen size and weapons to ONCE again rule the world.  This isnt the exact quote but hits on what was said.  Well they have been siting and growing steadily and they dont like taking a back seat to anyone especialy the US. 

[monrein]

Hard to imagine it's terrorism since approx. 13,000 Chinese children were also hospitalized.  I think it has more to do with unbridled capitalist greed gone wild.

[Wallyz]

C'mon, Monrein, you know the market always corrects itself.  You crazy liberals always demanding more government oversight.

[monrein]

C'mon, Monrein, you know the market always corrects itself.  You crazy liberals always demanding more government oversight.

   

[pelagia]

Here's the website for the FDA, which goes into greater detail on the products involved:

http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/melamine.htmlin

The FDA is advising consumers not to consume the following products because of possible melamine contamination:

Fresh and Crispy Jacobina Biscuits New!
Koala’s March Crème filled Cookies
YILI Brand Sour Milk Drink
YILI Brand Pure Milk Drink
Blue Cat Flavored Drinks
White Rabbit Candies
Mr. Brown Mandehling Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
Mr. Brown Arabica Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
Mr. Brown Blue Mountain Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
Mr. Brown Caramel Macchiato Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
Mr. Brown French Vanilla Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
Mr. Brown Mandheling Blend instant Coffee (2-in-1)
Mr. Brown Milk Tea (3-in-1)
Infant formula manufactured in China

[jessup]

Here's more info from aussie land

Last updated 29 October 2008

Food products withdrawn from sale in Australia
Food products withdrawn
Product testing
Consumer advice
Maximum melamine levels in food


http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/newsroom/factsheets/factsheets2008/melamineinfoodsfromchina/index.cfm

[jessup]

Got this in an email and thought I would share it

The bar coding item  is interesting as it gives you the ability to locate the manufacturing country of origin.

The whole world is scared of China made 'black hearted goods'. Can you differentiate which one is made in the USA , Philippines , Taiwan or China ?
Let me tell you how...

the first 3 digits of the bar code is the country code wherein the product was made.

Sample all bar codes that start with 690.691.692 until 695 are all MADE IN CHINA.
471 is Made in Taiwan

This is our human right to know, but the government and related departments never educate the public, therefore we have to RESCUE ourselves.

Nowadays, Chinese businessmen know that consumers do not prefer products 'made in china', so they don't show from which country it is made.

However, you may now refer to the barcode, remember if the first 3 digits is 690-695 then it is Made in China .

00 ~ 13 USA & CANADA
30 ~ 37 FRANCE
40 ~ 44 GERMANY
49 ~ JAPAN
50 ~ UK
57 ~ Denmark
64 ~ Finland
76 ~ Switzerland and Liechtenstein
628 ~ Saudi Arabia
629 ~ United Arab Emirates
740 ~ 745 - Central America

All 480 Codes are Made in the Philippines.

Please inform your family and friends for them to be aware.

[Zach]

the first 3 digits of the bar code is the country code wherein the product was made.

This eMail's information doesn't seem to be true.



http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/barcodes.asp

[jessup]

Oh buggar
Yes I am a silly fool
I should have checked Snopes

Thanks mate - Oh wise and wonderful
How do I take off my post then?