Fears on Animal Feed Widen Food Inquiry in China

[tpsbmam]

Source: NY Times

Chinese regulators said Friday that they were widening their investigation into contaminated food amid growing signs that the toxic industrial chemical melamine has leached into the nation’s animal feed supplies, posing health risks to consumers throughout the world.

The announcement came after food safety tests earlier this week found that eggs produced in three provinces in China were contaminated with melamine, which is blamed for causing kidney stones and renal failure in infants. The tests have led to recalls of eggs and to 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 milk crisis is fueling worldwide concerns about food from China. In Hong Kong, food safety officials announced this week that they would begin testing a broader variety of foods for melamine, including vegetables, flour and meat products. On the mainland, Shanghai and other cities are moving aggressively to test a wide variety of food products for melamine, including fish and livestock feed, according to the state-run news media, which in recent days has carried multiple reports on melamine in animal feed.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/01/world/asia/01china.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

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-just some of the products they're concerned about: milk, eggs, animal feed, chicken, meats, seafood, candy, beverages & vitamins
-it appears that melamine scrap is still being added to animal & fish feed

[Ian David]

1. At least now we know they aren't intentionally trying to kill us. n/t

[Mojorabbit]

2. Don't we import almost

all our vitamins from China?

[tpsbmam]

3. Probably.....

I know that they make about 80% of the world's vitamin C. And even if people don't take vitamins but eat processed food, including those made with processed flour. It's pretty much everywhere unless you buy locally grown food -- another good reason!

[eowyn_of_rohan]

5. Also Calcium, and who knows what it is derived from

dairy? poultry? Gaak. I am about ready to give up ingesting anything.

[stubtoe]

4. We might want to check country of origin on frozen fish

No more imported tilapia for me!

[eowyn_of_rohan]

6. Notice the cheap prices on shrimp lately

most is from China raised on dirty shrimp farms with wire-bottomed chicken coops constructed above . Guess what the shrimp eat.

[CountAllVotes]

7. I love shrimp

however, when I buy any of "it" I always ask where it is from. You are quite right - most of it is from China. :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

Thanks for letting everyone know!

:dem: :kick: :kick: :kick:

[eowyn_of_rohan]

11. I LOVE Gulf and Florida shrimp -- Alabama Reds & Rock shrimp...mmmmm

Really hard to get up north! Even hard to get American caught gulf shrimp up here.

[awoke_in_2003]

8. "Chinese regulators"

that's an oxymoron

[Azlady]

9. Some tips for melamine free foods

For dairy, I called and spoke with Organic Valley, their feed content comes from the USA and Canada, that would include dairy products and in some parts of the country chicken/beef.

I am lucky enough to live close to a Mom/Pop meat store, they have raised all of their beef, buffalo, chicken, turkey, lamb since the 1940's. They OWN their own meat processing plant of which no one else is allowed to use (no risk of cross contamination ). They grow their own feed in two States, of which 90% are organic, the remaining 10% can not be classified as organic as the fields are too close to conventional growing fields. I am sure there are other meat stores across the U.S. that proudly do the same. Now, you are going to ask about prices. I had to into a Wally-world a few weeks ago to pick up a script for a sick neighbor.. while I was waiting I looked at prices. Folks, some of the prices at Wally world were higher then this Mom/Pop meat store. There are risk free alternatives out there, but you may need to just dig a little bit.

I also only buy Lundberg Rice, which is all grown here in the USA, they also now offer rice pasta that is better then wheat and is all mfg, right here, in our own country.

For those of you taking Glucosamine / Chondroitin for joints, I had a friend who takes it for his arthritis, his complaint was sometimes it works, sometimes it didn't. So I went out and found a couple of years ago only one company that makes these products, from USA products only and produced here in the USA, my friend ordered it and started taking it a couple of years ago and is now feeling much better, it is nutrasense. Now perhaps other companies have started up here in USA since my last search.

It takes some time to research, but we can at least find some of the basic food groups to avoid these toxic foods coming in from overseas. If we support these Mom/Pop USA businesses it will help our USA economy.

[riverdeep]

10. And business here is taking notes.

How can we get rid of our regulations like they did? Step one, elect a Republican...