Marketplace's report on "Melamine in Pet Food," they spoke to Harry Balzer!

[Up2Late]

(I kid you not! Damn, if I had that name, I would at least go by Full name Harold Balzer, and if it may parents did actually name me Harry Balzer, I'd change it to Harold.)

Anyway, Here's the report: <http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2007/04/25/PM200704255.html>

What's melamine doing in food?

Listen to this story <http://www.publicradio.org/tools/media/player/marketplace/2007/04/25_mpp?start=00:00:10:58.0&end=00:00:14:49.0>

The FDA is looking into whether melamine, a chemical usually found in plastics, might have found its way into the human food chain. Kai Ryssdal talked with market researcher Harry Balzer about how concerned we should be.

TEXT OF INTERVIEW

KAI RYSSDAL: It has contaminated pet food and livestock feed. And ow the Food and Drug Administration is looking into whether melamine that's a chemical usually found in plastics might have found its way into the human food chain. It was originally mixed into wheat gluten and rice protein imported from China.

We don't know exactly how bad it might be if melamine did get into the food supply. But the FDA is examining six grain products that are used in everything from bread to baby food.

Harry Balzer's with the market research firm NPD Group. Mr. Balzer, good to have you with us.

HARRY BALZER: Nice to be here.

RYSSDAL: Just the fact that you and I are having this conversation today indicates that at least in some measure, food supply and food safety is something we're gonna talk about. But is it something that we take action on?

BALZER: Typically, no. That's not to say there aren't portions of the population who will respond. But generally, food safety is just something we talk about and not something we react to. And we've had a lot of these issues over the last five or six years, but we've never really seen a significant change, long-term, to the way we eat. We've seen short-term disruptions, but not long-term....

(more at link) <http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2007/04/25/PM200704255.html>

[Up2Late]

1. kick n/t

:kick: