Chinese dairy contamination (more melamine)
Remember the contaminated pet food that killed hundreds of critters across the US last year?
Remember the reassurances that it would never happen again, and, more importantly, could never happen to the human food supply.
Yeah, not so much.
Hong Kong ordered the recall of a Chinese company's products on Thursday after tests found eight out of 30 of its dairy offerings, including milk, ice cream and yoghurt, were contaminated with melamine – an organic base usually found in plastics and resins, and banned in food.
The tests by Hong Kong's food safety watchdog are the first verification by an independent food safety watchdog that the melamine contamination health scandal had now spread to such a large range of other dairy products.
Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co Ltd is one of 22 Chinese firms implicated in China's growing milk-powder contamination scandal. Milk powder containing melamine has killed four infants in China and made over 6,000 ill. The company was a Beijing Olympic games sponsor. (emphasis mine)
Even worse than that, there are reports that the head of at least one of the companies has known about it since 2005.
You know, there are some truly wonderful aspects to the global economy. Heck, there are even some good things about imported food from places like China. They are the #1 exporter of food to the US, after all. Melamine, however, is not one of them.
One would hope that our government would keep us safe from tainted imports, but we know that is not the case. What's a consumer to do? Darned good question, and none of us have good answers. For now, I am continuing to avoid any food that says it was made in China and all fresh produce from Mexico. I'm also looking into a winter garden so I can keep a smidge more safe fresh stuff in my diet.
How about you? Do you think I am worrying too much? Are you still eating food from China? Produce from Mexico?
