The new Food and Drug Administration Watch List is a belated effort to get a handle on Chinese products containing the industrial chemical melamine, which has sickened 50,000 infants and killed at least four.
“Although F.D.A.’s action today is a step in the right direction, it does not do enough to ensure consumer safety, especially since melamine contamination in Chinese products continues to broaden,” said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch.
"As a result of the latest alert, Chinese products that contain milk or milk powder will automatically be detained at the border until the manufacturer or its customer has the product tested and it is found to be free of contamination, or they show documentation indicating that the product does not contain milk or milk-derived ingredients."
While the contamination has not been widespread in the United States, melamine has been found in products ranging from nondairy creamer to instant coffee. More worrisome: China ships milk-produced supplements, protein powders and shakes, which may be covered under the new rules, to the United States.
The new restrictions are expected to cause problems at U.S. ports, which move huge quantities of Chinese products. The new rules do not apply to egg and fish products, which are derived from animals often fed melamine-laced feed.
Reported by DadTalk.
