China: melamine in everything!

That’s it. No more made-in-China / imported-from-China food for me and my family. The risk to our health is too great a sacrifice after more food have tested positive for the chemical Melamine. First it was just infant milk that was reported to contain toxic melamine. Then the investigation widened to include other milk products such as candies, chocolates and coffee creamers. But now an independent laboratory has confirmed that melamine is also present in two canned meat products from China!

Local network ABS CBN has reported that Progressive Laboratories (Qualibet Testing Center) has found out that eight food products, including a popular brand of processed meat and an iced drink sold by a popular coffee shop, have tested positive for melamine contamination. Fourteen products in all were tested but only eight were positive for the toxic substance. Though the lab has officially declined to name these products yet, consumers have been
warned to stay away from food imported from China as a precaution.

The testing center has no authority to release the brand names of the products tainted with melamine. It, however, said that these include two brands of milk candies, a brand of chocolate, a brand of milk powder for pregnant women and a brand of repacked coffee creamer used in restaurants. Also included in the list are two brands of processed meats — one for a luncheon meat and another for corned beef.

All test results were forwarded to the Bureau of Food and Drug (BFAD) for confirmation and subsequent announcement to the public. Only this agency, together with the Department of Health, is authorized to make such official pronouncements.

ABS CBN reported that another batch of canned meat products were subjected to testing but the results were the same. In conclusion, the lab said the meats used in making the canned products possibly came from livestock that were given melamine-tainted feeds. Recently, samples of whey powder and skimmed milk replacer, which are mixed into livestock feed, also tested positive for melamine after these were seized from a supplier. This brings a scary scenario that is very difficult to detect. What if more of our locally grown meat products are also tainted with melamine since livestock feed is already tainted?

Melamine is added to food because of its high nitrogen content. As such, food products containing it are mistakenly rated high in protein because of this high nitrogen content. But melamine is a highly toxic substance, commonly used in the manufacture of plastic resins for household use, such as counter tops, plates, fabrics and glues. It is also used in the manufacture of fire retardants and pesticides!

Darn those unscrupulous Chinese businessmen. I hope they rot in hell! I hope all food imports from China will be banned because of this. We may have only scratched the surface with this melamine milk contamination. For all we know, more food will turn out to be contaminated with melamine, or any other toxic substance.

I don’t know about you but no Chinese food products will be consumed in our household from this day forward, maybe permanently.

Update: Nestle milk products in Taiwan found positive for Melamine