Melamine In Milk Products Sold In China Yet Again!

I wouldn't normally blog about the same entry twice in two days but I am. Yesterdays entry was about the contamination of milk in the EU as a result of reheating milk and the way in which it is stored. Today, I came across another interesting factoid in the news about milk which I thought was worth noting. This one is about melamine found in milk products which are sold in China yet again! The same outbreak and product scandal in 2008 that sickened 300,000 people and killed six is said to be back on the market. Three companies were discovered in China selling milk products with expiry dates dating back to early 2009.

So lets juts refresh our memories and understand exactly what is Melamine. According to a report published by Public Health Canada in 2008, it said, "melamine is a chemical used in a number of commercial and industrial applications, is unsafe for human consumption. Melamine is not approved or permitted in food in Canada. Consumption of melamine may lead to reproductive damage, bladder or kidney stones, bladder cancer, acute kidney failure and death. " (Public Health Canada, 2008)

Ling, a Guizhou provincial government spokeswoman said "health officials have continued to target distributors who sold melamine-tainted milk to stores, but some distributors — wrongly assuming the government scaled back its crackdown — continue to sell it." (CBC News) Obviously there are still greedy individuals and companies out there who have a complete disregard for public safety. China has recently launched a new investigation in attempt to clean up the mess that spilled in 2008. Indeed, China needs to tighten up product safety measures and food supply chain.