http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/30/asia/AS-SKorea-Tainted-Milk.php

International Herald Tribune|Associated Press
September 30, 2008

SKorea finds more Chinese-made tainted food items

"Two more Chinese-made food products — including Ritz crackers — were found to contain high levels of melamine, South Korean investigators said Tuesday.

"The chemical was found in Nabisco's Ritz cracker cheese sandwiches and in rice crackers made by Danyang Day Bright Co., the Korea Food and Drug Administration said.

"The maker of Nabisco Ritz crackers, Northfield, Illinois-based Kraft Foods Inc., did not immediately return messages left seeking comment."

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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122278326555990197.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Wall Street Journal September 30, 2008

Food Giants Scrutinize Chinese Suppliers

"he Chinese milk-safety scandal exposes one of the pitfalls of a key strategy of the world's big multinational food companies: relying on local suppliers in emerging markets.

"On Tuesday, Anglo-Dutch consumer goods company Unilever NV recalled four batches of Lipton Milk Tea in Hong Kong and Macau, which were found to contain the industrial chemical melamine, a company spokesperson said.

"A day earlier, H.J. Heinz Co. said it would stop using milk from China in the baby food it sells on the mainland and in Hong Kong. Nestlé SA, the world's biggest food company by sales, said it is examining its procedures for buying milk in China, where it relies on a network of individual farmers.

"The problem shows how big food companies can struggle to impose food-safety standards on suppliers in the developing markets they increasingly rely on for sales growth. The companies can test their own factories and then later find problems with ingredients introduced earlier in their supply chains. Some, like Kraft Foods Inc., are seeking to address that challenge by conducting quality checks on local suppliers. Mars Inc., meanwhile, says it safeguards its products by using Chinese suppliers who own their entire production chains.

"Cadbury's experience shows that a company can test its own operations, and still run into problems with its suppliers. Cadbury has employees or external experts in all its factories to test chocolates for dangerous microbes and contaminants, a spokesman says. The employees aren't responsible to the local factory manager, and instead report to the compliance division, which includes Cadbury's auditors.

But for its ingredients, Cadbury relies on suppliers to have their own tests, a spokesman in London said Monday. "Nobody can look for everything," he added.

"In China, Cadbury's dairy suppliers had been cleared in the recent spate of government testing, but it decided to do further tests of its Chinese products. Some of those items came back positive for traces of melamine, said Trish Fields, a spokeswoman for Cadbury Asia Pacific, though she declined to say which ones. The source of the contamination wasn't known.

"Nestlé says it does 70 different quality tests on its milk products, but only began looking for melamine on Sept. 14, soon after the milk scandal became public. The Swiss food giant recalled one product in Hong Kong, on orders from the local government, that had trace amounts of melamine. It is reviewing how it buys milk in China, said Nestlé spokesman Robin Tickle.

"Part of the confusion appears to be that different tests produce different results. Over the weekend, Indonesia's Ministry of Health said its tests had found melamine in 12 types of products sold there, including M&M's and Snickers candy bars made by Mars. Mars questioned the findings, saying the Indonesian results don't match tests by other Asian governments that have cleared its products. Indonesian officials didn't respond to requests for comment Monday.

"Not all Western food companies operating in China buy ingredients locally. France's Danone SA buys milk in Australia and New Zealand for its Chinese baby products, according to a spokeswoman, a situation that could help sales if the scandal spreads.

"In Indonesia, meanwhile, the government also said it had found melamine in Oreo wafer sticks made by Kraft. Kraft spokeswoman Claire Regan said that while the Oreo wafer sticks sold in Indonesia are made in China, they don't contain any Chinese dairy ingredients.

"Other governments -- Malaysia, Korea and Thailand -- have tested Oreo wafer sticks, and they had negative results" for melamine, she said. Kraft says it is trying to work with the Indonesian government to understand how its findings differed from that of other governments."

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http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=3&art_id=nw20080930151554193C777909&set_id=

IOL.co.za (South Africa) September 30, 2008

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=3&art_id=nw20080930151554193C777909&set_id=

Melamine found in two more Chinese products

"Singapore - The industrial chemical at the centre of a growing toxic milk scandal has been found in two more food products from China, authorities in Singapore said on Tuesday.

"The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) said it has found melamine in strawberry-flavoured New Sshma Ows Mallow Dippers, and Silang House of Steamed Potato potato and tomato cracker."

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http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=26181

The Sun (Taiwan) September 30, 2008

Tainted- Milk: Taiwan demands apology and compensation from China.

"Taiwan today demanded an apology and possible compensation from China over imported milk tainted with the chemical melamine.

""I hereby make a formal request to demand China apologise to Taiwan," Premier Liu Chao-hsuan told parliament.

""Departments concerned will have calculate the damages caused within a week. Once the damages are confirmed, we will help seek compensation from China," he said.

"Meanwhile, Thailand's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found traces of melamine in 20 tons of milk powder imported from China, where at least four children have died from excessive melamine intake, media reports said Tuesday.
 
"The chemical was found in samples of milk powder taken from Dutch Mill Company's warehouse, but the FDA has yet to issue a warning on the product until further tests are made to determine the level of melamine, the Bangkok Post newspaper said.

"Besides distributing powder milk to Thailand, Dutch Mill also exports its products to Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam."

We in the United States have the privilege of speaking our minds on behalf of Chinese babies and consumers across the world.
Here's a Chinese baby milk tainted food news summary for Tuesday, September 30, 2008:

From New Zealand:
http://www.scoop.co.nz:80/stories/PA0809/S00669.htm
Chinese trade deal means more food safety concerns
Tuesday, 30 September 2008, 3:11 pm
Press Release: Green Party 

Chinese trade deal means more food safety concerns: Greens
Food safety concerns can only grow with the start of New Zealand's preferential trade deal with China tomorrow, says the Green Party.
Green Party MP Sue Kedgley says the official start of our trade agreement with China, on October 1, could also signal an increase in unsafe food products.
"Consumers have the most to lose from this controversial trade agreement," Ms Kedgley says.
"Serious concerns have been raised about the safety of food products from China, in light of the infant baby formula debacle and concerns over melamine contamination of White Rabbit sweets and other milk products.
"The advent of the preferential trade agreement with China has the potential to raise more food safety fears and further undermine consumer confidence in Chinese goods."

Fast tracking provisions of imported goods at the New Zealand border that are part of the trade agreement (requiring most goods to be released within 48 hours of arrival at our border) could easily lead to further contamination of our food supply, Ms Kedgley says.

"It's clear that contaminated food is able to slip through our borders and enter the food chain, as it did in the case of the White Rabbit sweets and the recent illegal genetically engineered rice from China, and I am worried that the fast track provisions could make it even easier.

"Given China's poor food quality standards, I believe we need much more testing of imported food at the border, not fast tracking procedures.

Ms Kedgley notes that while many other countries were quick to ban imports of suspect Chinese goods containing dairy products, the New Zealand Food Safety Authority has yet to officially recall contaminated products such as the melamine contaminated sweets.


From Thailand:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/300908_News/30Sep2008_news01.php
Tuesday September 30, 2008         
FDA says milk powder tainted
Melamine in samples, firm says products safe
APIRADEE TREERUTKUARKUL AND PITSINEE JITPLEECHEEP

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found melamine in 20 tonnes of milk powder imported from China by Dutch Mill Co,
but the firm has assured consumers its products are safe.

The chemical was found in samples taken from the company's warehouse in Nakhon Pathom province, FDA deputy secretary-general
Narangsan Peerakit said yesterday.

The food watchdog did not issue a health warning and will test the milk powder again, he said. The results would be available tomorrow.

Dutch Mill managing director Thirayuth Chaisawangwong said the company was keeping the 20 tonnes of tainted milk powder in storage.

Mr Thirayuth, who has 35 years of experience in food technology, said product quality is the firm's priority concern because Dutch Mill
products sell in Thailand and nine other countries, including Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh and China.

European Union standards allow an intake of 0.5 milligrammes of melamine per kilo of body weight per day. Consumers would need to
drink more than 1,000 litres of milk a day to be in danger.

The EU standard is the same as that used by the FDA, said Deputy Public Health Minister Wicharn Meenchainant.

The FDA confirmed M&M chocolate candies and Lotte koala-shaped chocolate biscuits imported from China are safe for consumption.

Last week the agency asked local retailers to temporarily pull from shelves 11 types of biscuits and snacks which contained milk
ingredients from China.

This followed the growing scandal over food safety since 22 milk suppliers in China were found to have added melamine to falsely
boost protein readings for substandard milk.

The FDA's off-the-shelf list comprised M&M chocolates, Lotte koala biscuits, Oreo wafer sticks, Dove milk chocolate, Snickers caramel
peanut bars and nougat, Mentos yoghurt candies and Mao Huad coffee and oatmeal crackers.

The FDA will issue certificates to the distributors before making the snacks available to consumers again.

The FDA expects to be able to release its test results for other products on the off-the-shelf list next week.

Retailers alarmed by the toxic milk reports from China have taken tens of thousands of food products to the FDA for melamine testing.

FDA secretary-general Chatree Bancheun said the FDA would collect more samples of powdered milk used as a key ingredient in production of instant milk beverages for testing.
Dr Chatree said consumers should not be too alarmed by the milk contamination reports.


From the USofA:
http://www.marketwatch.com:80/news/story/fda-funding-increase-tough-budget/story.aspx?guid=%7B25157769-1112-4FD1-93B1-E74A4A5A117A%7D&dist=hppr
FDA Funding Will Increase in Tough Budget Year
Continuing Resolution Reflects House/Senate/Administration Concerns for FDA in FY 2009
Last update: 3:46 p.m. EDT Sept. 29, 2008
WASHINGTON, Sep 29, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Alliance for a Stronger FDA today applauded Congressional actions to assure
increased funding for FDA in fiscal year 2009. Under the Continuing Resolution (CR), FDA will be able to spend at a higher rate in FY 2009
than it did in the current fiscal year. The CR was passed by the House last Wednesday and by the Senate on Saturday.

http://www.azcentral.com:80/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2008/09/30/20080930B1-talker0930.html
From the Arizona Republic newspaper, September 30, 2008|
Valley market pulls Chinese candy from shelves
Lee Lee Oriental Supermarket in Peoria and Chandler has removed White Rabbit brand candy from its shelves.
Testing by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority showed high levels of melamine contamination in White Rabbit Creamy Candies, according to the FDA. As of Thursday, FDA testing of milk-based Chinese imports has found no such contamination.

http://www.theatlantic.com:80/doc/200809u/tainted-milk
Back to The Jungle, by Corby Kummer
For U.S. readers the most upsetting condemnation is saved for the FDA. In the pet food scandal—as in all the recent contaminated-food disease outbreaks—the agency has acted slowly and failed to say when and how it received its first warnings (shades of the Chinese government). As critics continually point out, deregulation-minded, industry-boosting [edited] administrations have left both the FDA and the USDA far too weak and underfunded to conduct the kind of studies on human toxicity that could allow them to act quickly and decisively. A new administration must recognize the fact that the food-tainting scandals, as much as the economic crisis, are the result of predictably unreliable "voluntary" industry self-regulation that—in this case literally—leaves the foxes guarding the henhouse.

http://blogs.dogster.com:80/vet_blog_information_advice/melamine-in-chocolate-points-to-link-between-human-and-animal-health/
09/29/08 Melamine in Chocolate Points to Link Between Human and Animal Health
Dr. Eric Barchas, DVM
At this time the extent and severity of the chocolate contamination are not known. But this incident does a great deal to prove that animal and human food safety are interlinked.  ... more

From Myanmar:
http://www.irrawaddy.org:80/highlight.php?art_id=14346
Burma’s State Media Still Mum on Tainted Milk Powder
By MIN LWIN Tuesday, September 30, 2008 
The Burmese military government has still failed to take strong action to protect the public following the revelation of tainted powdered milk products imported from China, according to sources in Rangoon.
“Most families are still using the cheap Chinese-made unsafe milk powder,” a Rangoon resident said. “The government hasn’t publicized to avoid use of China-imported milk powder in state-run newspapers.”



From China, news the government is suppressing information about the contaminated milk scandal (what a surprise)
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080918/tap-china-food-safety-child-8d4ea94.html

China arrests 27 in tainted milk scandal: state media
AFP - Wednesday, October 1BEIJING (AFP) - - Police in northern China have arrested 27 people in their probe into tainted milk that has sickened 53,000 children and soiled China's reputation abroad, state media reported Tuesday.
The 27 are among 36 detained since authorities in Hebei province began investigating Sanlu Group, the company at the centre of the scandal, earlier this month.
The investigation followed the discovery that the industrial chemical melamine, which is normally used to make plastics, had been added to Sanlu powdered milk.
The Xinhua news agency had reported 22 detentions by Monday, and said those arrested were involved in a network that made and sold melamine and added it to milk.

Four children so far have died after drinking milk tainted with melamine, which can make watered-down milk appear richer in protein.

According to police investigations in Hebei, where Sanlu is headquartered, melamine was produced at underground plants and sold to breeding farms and milk purchasing stations, the China Daily reported Tuesday.
The report said Chinese officials, learning that the purchasing stations were among the key links in how the contaminated milk spread, have begun a national campaign to overhaul the system.
A total of 31 provinces have set up special task forces to supervise the purchasing centres and implement more standardised practices, according to the newspaper.
Milk purchasing centres only began operating in recent years, and the government has not yet set up a specific department to supervise them, it said, explaining how the illegal practices could occur.
The newspaper cited the agriculture ministry as saying melamine was most probably mixed with milk at the stations.

"We will resolutely put an end to the practice of adding melamine to fresh milk," Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai said in an interview with the People's Daily, which was posted on the paper's website.
"We will carefully monitor the production, sale and processing of fresh milk," Sun was quoted as saying.

Chinese officials have struggled in recent days to contain the fallout from the scandal as a growing range of China-made products have been pulled off shelves across the world.

South Korea's food watchdog said Tuesday that two more snacks imported from China were contaminated with the toxic chemical melamine, bringing the number of tainted brands discovered locally to six.
The products are Ritz Cracker Sandwiches Cheese, produced by Nabisco Food Suzhou Co, and Savory Rice Crackers from Danyang Day Bright Foods Co, said the Korea Food and Drug Administration.
Traces of melamine were previously detected in "Misarang Custard" and "Misarang Coconut" cakes, which were manufactured in China and sold by South Korea's Haitai Confectionery and Food Co.
The two other brands are Milk Rusk biscuits and Vegetable Creamer.
The South Korean agency has been inspecting 428 brands of imported food. It has completed checks on 186 items and found six contaminated with the chemical.
All six brands have been recalled, it said.

British sweet maker Cadbury said Monday it had found traces of melamine in chocolates made at its Beijing factory, and ordered a recall of those products in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia.
The 11 brands recalled include Cadbury Eclairs and bulk packets of Dairy Milk chocolate, the company said earlier.

Indonesia's food supervisory agency said over the weekend that it discovered some 16 Chinese-made diary products contained melamine, adding that all those products -- including well-known brands such as Snickers and M&M's chocolates -- would be immediately destroyed.
Mars said it was "extremely surprised" by that decision, insisting other tests had cleared its products of contamination.

More than a dozen Asian and African countries, plus the 27-member European Union, have taken steps to ban or limit consumption of products containing Chinese dairy.

The crisis is among the most serious in a litany of product-safety scandals emerging from China's chaotic and corrupt manufacturing industries in recent years, emerging as the nation has grown into a global trading power.
Besides the toll in mainland China, five children in Hong Kong, one in Macau, and four people in Taiwan have reportedly developed kidney stones after consuming tainted Chinese products.

From the United Kingdom:
The BBC has a map of all the countries affected. Despite recalls and products warned about, the USA is not on it:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7641317.stm#melamine

http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/news/uknews/3107694/China-tainted-milk-scandal-Heinz-and-Mars-drawn-in.html
China tainted milk scandal: Heinz and Mars drawn in
Food and sweet giants Heinz and Mars have been drawn into China's tainted milk crisis, following Cadbury which was forced to withdraw 11 brands of chocolate from the Far East market.
By Richard Spencer in Beijing
Heinz said it would stop using Chinese milk in its food processing operations in mainland China and Hong Kong after a batch of baby food was found to be contaminated with melamine.
Food giant Unilever has also said it is recalling Lipton-brand milk tea in Hong Kong after traces of melamine were found. ...


Brilliant of New Zealand to fast track imports for release within 48 hours, faster than testing can be done. Gives me even less
confidence in New Zealand food safety.

Brilliant of Myanmar not to inform the public that cheap Chinese baby formula may be harmful or deadly to the country's children and let babies continue to consume it.

There's a couple more products mentioned in that article.

"New melamine-tainted products are being announced on an almost daily basis.

In South Korea, officials say the chemical was found in Nabisco Ritz cracker cheese sandwiches and in rice crackers made by the Chinese company, Danyang Day."

The rice crackers worry me.  We have a bunch that are 'product of Thailand'.  I was already thinking about this since  having some rice noodle Thai takeout the other day.  If they are putting it in dairy products, why not rice flour, too?  Rice crackers are usually non-dairy and looks like their line is, too.

http://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/xmdaybright/

And guess what?

"Day Bright Group Co., Ltd. Of Thailand is a dynamic corporation, which invested and set up two largest rice cracker factories, one is Xiamen Day Bright Foods Co., Ltd. In Xiamen, and the other is Danyang Day Bright Foods Co., Ltd."

Oh, no!!!  We eat a lot of those things.  I love the seaweed wrapped ones.

http://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/xmdaybright/
"Rice crackers and senbei, the good diet snack made of high grade rice from the unpolluted districts in TaiHu lake, boasts 8 ranges and over 300 varieties. After the complicated process of high grade rice and Japanese natural seasoning, it still preserves its original abundant nutrition from the glutinous rice ,such as high-grade protein etc, and proves to be easier for the human being to absorb more nutrition and almost free of colorings, preservatives and additives , a best choice for traveling, entertaining, and drinking. "

S.O.B.'s mean 'melamine' when they say 'etc', don't they?  Looking at the big bags DH got, it is sort of a generic trading company brand.  How do I know if the manufacturer is not the same one?  I don't now..... 

That sounds right for a percentage at 2 out of 47.  Did you notice how the Dutch are going right along with the safe level B.S. declared by China? 

"Only with daily consumption of two kilograms of the biscuits will children enter the danger zone."

Now where is the logic in trusting those numbers?  It is really crazy.  Wonder if the FDA would test my rice crackers?  Right.

What is it with all these countries back peddling??

I wonder what happened between last week and this week to have them change their collective minds??

It really is quite simple, melamine should not be in food, period.

NO LEVEL IS acceptable, the effects are cumulative, even the FDA is now admitting to that

db

I wonder about that too.  Suddenly these certain amounts are "safe."  Not so, IMO.  Do the Chinese hold the real ownership in all these corporations?  This feels eerily familiar to some events during last year's pet food crisis.

Look at all the measures they (the Thai company that made the tainted rice crackers) claim to have in place to ensure the quality of the products made in China.  Remember that when you see claims like this when evaluating them.

http://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/xmdaybright/companyinfo/The-Day-Bright-Foods-Co-Ltd-.html

Bet we have been eating melamine crackers...

"Powerful Sales Network
Our products enjoy a leading market sharing in over 20 countries and districts all over Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa and North America. Most of the well-known companies from Japan, Holland, the USA and so on have established long-term friendly business relationship with us, resorting the powerful integration of development, manufacture, management and sales. "