Alleged Melamine Spiking in Food “Widespread” For Years

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marishka

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Additive that tainted U.S. pet food is commonly used in China
By David Barboza and Alexei Barrionuevo The New York Times
Sunday, April 29, 2007

American food safety regulators trying to figure out how an industrial chemical called melamine contaminated so much pet food in the United States might come to this heavily polluted city in Shandong Province in the northern part of the country.

Here at the Shandong Mingshui Great Chemical Group factory, huge boiler vats are turning coal into melamine, which is used to create plastics and fertilizer.

But the leftover melamine scrap, small acorn-sized chunks of white rock, is then being sold to local entrepreneurs, who say they secretly mix a powdered form of the scrap into animal feed to artificially enhance the protein level.

The melamine powder has been dubbed “fake protein” and is used to deceive those who raise animals into thinking they are buying feed that provides higher nutrition value.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/29/news/food.php
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http://www.itchmo.com/read/melamine-...years_20070429

The link that the above article is getting their info on is not working, so I suppose the above link itself has to be taken at face value for the moment. But doesn't it seem to confirm our suspicions? Kind of one of those moments where you think the next day will be the last in the face of all of these pet food/animal feed contaminations...but this makes it one of those, this is going to change the country types of feelings, right before the storm hits. Does the phrase 'it gets worse before it gets better' still apply?

Does anyone remember feeling like this when Diamond had that problem, what, last year?

(I hadn't seen this anywhere, but if I am out of place, or it is already being discussed, I apologize and feel free to remove) : )
 
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I read this article on Itchmo early this morning. Somehow I'm not surprised. After all that has happened in the last month nothing surprises me.

I would like to think the FDA would investigate possible contamination of the human food supply, but I'm not holding my breath for that.

If this information is widely disseminated in the media perhaps the general public will at least be more aware of problems with foods imported from certain countries.
 
duchess15

duchess15

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Why doesn't that surprise me? It seems that China has been doing underhand things such as this for years. Y, I think it will continue to get worse before it gets better. I just hope it isn't too late for some who have absolutely no clue out there about it.
 
sharky

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Surprised no because no one would test for it just think they were getting a good deal on well grown crops..
 
jennyr

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Thanks for that. I am not in the least surprised - I was sure from the beginning that this was not a 'one-off' event.
 
katiemae1277

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Since this entire ordeal started I've suspected that the melamine has been present in food the whole time, just this time there was "too much" and it made pets sick.... but that's what you get when you buy food from a country that doesn't share our pesticide rules.... just like with everything else in life, when you get a really good deal, sometimes there is a reason for it. Goes back to my original thought of why are we importing a crop that is grown right here in North America when our own economy is not the greatest???
 
starryeyedtiger

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Originally Posted by katiemae1277

Goes back to my original thought of why are we importing a crop that is grown right here in North America when our own economy is not the greatest???
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Exactly! That's one of the reasons i try to buy American made only (or at least things made in free democs.) I try to avoid buying things from China at all costs. Even more so now. Growing up on a farm when i was little- i understand just how hard importing things can be for our local farmers- so i always try to support local agriculture/etc.
 
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marishka

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jean44

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Originally Posted by Marishka

Thanks, the IHT wasn't working when I was trying to post : ) You mind if I edit my post to reflect the change in link?
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No problem- go ahead and edit your post. I checked Itchmo today, as I do every day, and found the new link.
 
javern

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I would think the FDA will be taking a lot heat on this issue, at the same time the focus seems to be on CHINA and I wonder what ELSE this intense look at edible products we import from there will turn up. If people are willing to use a chemical to falsely spike protein levels what else are they capable of???? It's scary.
 
kalikat

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Couldn't agree more, you don't know what your eating these days. Even so called fresh fruit & veg are not always safe. Makes you want to go back to the good old days & grow your own.
 
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