FDA Investigating Tainted Vegetable Proteins and Human Food Supply

[lml41981]

Tainted food is seeping into human supply
By Stephen J. Hedges and Mary Ann Fergus
Chicago Tribune

WASHINGTON — The tainted pet food scare, which has swelled into a serious crisis for animal lovers, now has spread to humans.

California officials have revealed that the contamination got into the food chain: About 45 state residents ate pork from hogs that consumed animal feed laced with melamine from China. Melamine is used to make plastics, but it also artificially boosts the protein level — and thus the price — of the glutens that go into food.

It was already fatal for some pets: 17 cats and dogs are confirmed dead, more have likely died without being reported, thousands have suffered kidney problems, and 57 brands of cat food and 83 of dog food have been recalled. On top of that, roughly 6,000 hogs will be destroyed because they ate tainted feed. The effects of melamine on people are thought to be minimal, but no one really knows. Its consumption by humans is considered so improbable that no one has even studied it.

But they are studying now. What last month was a limited recall of canned pet food is on the verge of becoming a full-fledged public health scare, potentially overwhelming government agencies and raising troubling questions about U.S. food safety in the global economy and in the post-Sept. 11 era.
More at the link (http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660216090,00.html)...included in the investigation are imported vegetable proteins used for human foods such as pizza, protein bars and baby formula.

[Niobe]

Oh bloody hell...

[msnicolea]

I eat a Clif bar almost every single morning--hope they aren't affected by this!

[Adaya]

This is kinda scary.

[SingleWhiteFemale]

Part of the problem is we're importing food from China. There is also an article about melamine in the NYT article today (Filler in Animal Feel Is Open Secret In China (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/30/business/worldbusiness/30food.html?_r=1&oref=slogin)), which for some reason was actually removed from the NYTimes website even though it was the most e-mailed article of the day.

I'm really starting to wonder why the hell the US Government is not restrictive at all about the stuff imported into this country. Europe is much more restrictive--they ban all animal-based food products coming from China, since about 2001/2002 when they found chloromycetin in Chinese shrimp products. From Drugs.com (http://www.drugs.com/pro/chloromycetin.html):FOR INTRAVENOUS ADMINISTRATION

WARNING

Serious and fatal blood dyscrasias (aplastic anemia, hypoplastic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and granulocytopenia) are known to occur after the administration of chloramphenicol. In addition, there have been reports of aplastic anemia attributed to chloramphenicol which later terminated in leukemia. Blood dyscrasias have occurred after both short-term and prolonged therapy with this drug.Chloramphenicol must not be used when less potentially dangerous agents will be effective, as described in the INDICATIONS AND USAGE section.It must not be used in the treatment of trivial infections or where it is not indicated, as in colds, influenza, infections of the throat; or as a prophylactic agent to prevent bacterial infections. Oh wait, I shouldn't wonder, their hands are in their coffers. Gotta love global commerce.

[kam]

Well, our government didn't seem to care when it impacted our pets, but maybe if it impacts their constituents they'll start acting. This has got to stop!

[jesvet]

chloramphenicol in the food supply?!

[PinkMartini]

I heard somewhere the melamine that was added to the pet food ingredient was intentional? :confused:

[lml41981]

I heard somewhere the melamine that was added to the pet food ingredient was intentional? :confused:
That's what it sounds like... From what I read, melamine artificially boosts the protein content of foods, so that may have been a motivator. I dunno...you'd find out more about that in the pet food recall thread.

[bea_mama]

Originally Posted by PinkMartini
I heard somewhere the melamine that was added to the pet food ingredient was intentional?

I believe that when the ingredient is analyzed for protein content, the analysis technique used will measure a total value for protein. This technique does not differentiate between melamine and actual protein, so counts the contaminant as protein.

From what I have heard/read the supplier of the ingredient dosed in the melamine as a cheap way to boost the analyzed protein content. I find this completely unethical and morally disgusting.

[ysolde]

I am so pissed off about this (please pardon my crude language). How about a little truth-telling from the FDA here? How about a little accountability? How long did it take these SOBs to tell the truth?

[sue-bert]

I heard somewhere the melamine that was added to the pet food ingredient was intentional? :confused:
Yes, according to the article that SingleWhiteFemale posted:
For years, producers of animal feed all over China have secretly supplemented their feed with the substance, called melamine, a cheap additive that looks like protein in tests, even though it does not provide any nutritional benefits, according to melamine scrap traders and agricultural workers here.

Part of the problem is we're importing food from China.
Yup. Again, from the article:

The pet food case is also putting China’s agricultural exports under greater scrutiny because the country has had a terrible food safety record.

In recent years, for instance, China’s food safety scandals have involved everything from fake baby milk formulas and soy sauce made from human hair to instances where cuttlefish were soaked in calligraphy ink to improve their color and eels were fed contraceptive pills to make them grow long and slim.
Truly disgusting and reprehensible.

[jesvet]

Yaaay globalization! ....errrr.......

[jnettie]

Yet more reasons why I don't like that we (America) do business with China.

[MLA]

Yet more reasons why I don't like that we (America) do business with China.

Besides the hypocrisy of it? We manage to avoid having any relations with Cuba (another communist country), but because there's money to made in China, we're all over that market. Disgusting.


I'm really glad that I do all of my meat shopping at Whole Foods and buy almost exclusively organic meats. I'm hoping that stays safe.

[PinkMartini]

And now it's being linked in poultry that's already been processed :eek:

I have a feeling this is just the tip of the iceburg :(

Update Here (http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01621.html)

[jnettie]

Besides the hypocrisy of it? We manage to avoid having any relations with Cuba (another communist country), but because there's money to made in China, we're all over that market. Disgusting.

Exactly! Why would we expect a country that has such a piss poor human rights record to care about what they put in the food chain.

This has so much to do with the bottom line for business - artificial proteins are cheaper than natural sources. Plus, it shows how horribly inadequate the FDA is in THIS country! Have you noticed that all the recalls have been "voluntary"? Well, that's because the FDA doesn't have the power to force a recall! They rely on business regulating itself when it fears that they might loose business over sickness.

[Niobe]

Plus, it shows how horribly inadequate the FDA is in THIS country! Have you noticed that all the recalls have been "voluntary"? Well, that's because the FDA doesn't have the power to force a recall! They rely on business regulating itself when it fears that they might loose business over sickness.

I have never understood this. The only thing the FDA has the power to recall is infant formula. Why? :confused: