Toxic Melamine Continues to Turn Up in Foods
Melamine Was Also Responsible for Widespread Pet Food Recalls
Melamine first made headlines in 2007, when this industrial chemical was found in tainted pet food. This melamine contamination situation spurred a pet food recall that shook consumers' confidence in the safety of pet foods to this very day.
Since this 2007 pet food recall, additional pet food recalls have been issued for Pedigree dog food and more than a dozen other brands of contaminated dog food and cat food due to a mysterious salmonella outbreak at an Everson, Pennsylvania pet food manufacturing plant.
But today, it's not only pet owners who are faced with serious concerns about tainted food, contaminated food products and other potentially deadly dangers of this sort. The summer of 2008 brought a series of salmonella-related food recalls and the fall of 2008 has brought melamine-related food recalls.
Melamine is now spurring serious concerns among consumers in the United States and worldwide.
What Foods are Contaminated With Melamine?
New melamine-related food recalls are being issued every day, so this makes it difficult for consumers to determine what products are safe and what products pose a danger. On October 6, 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a melamine-related notice announcing a recall for Blue Cat Flavor Drinks, which are believed to be contaminated with melamine.
The FDA's notice also indicates that several Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea products, all manufactured in Taiwan, have been recalled due to possible melamine contamination.
When it comes to melamine-tainted food, the most at-risk consumer is the one who purchases milk-derived ingredients and finished food products containing milk manufactured in China. These foods are particularly popular at Asian food stores, but mainstream food stores have been closely monitoring the melamine food recall situation.
Is there a "Safe" Amount of Melamine?
In recent weeks, scientists have started to conduct experiments and testing, designed to determine the safety threshold of melamine when it comes to ingestion in contaminated and melamine-tainted foods. This has led many researchers and scientists to suggest that a small amount of melamine is non-toxic and "safe" but the debate over the deadliness of melamine continues.
To date, there are conflicting opinions within the scientific community about whether a small amount of melamine is "safe," so cautious and concerned consumers are opting to play it safe and avoid all products - especially potentially melamine-tainted baby formula - that's associated with recent melamine-related food recalls.
According to the FDA, "In food products other than infant formula, the FDA concludes that levels of melamine and melamine-related compounds below 2.5 parts per million (ppm) do not raise concerns." The FDA says that the scientific community has been unable to determine a "safe" melamine exposure level for babies who consume melamine-tainted baby formula.
How Do I Learn About New Melamine Food Recalls?
It can be difficult to stay on top of all the latest food recalls and reports of tainted food items. One good method to avoid consuming a recalled food item involves visiting the FDA's website on a regular basis, as regular updates on the melamine contamination situation and melamine food recalls are posted on the site.
Consumers should also make time to watch the news, listen to news radio or check the daily newspaper on a daily basis, as melamine food recalls have been widely publicized throughout the United States. Concerned consumers can also visit websites for their local radio station, television station and newspaper for the latest updates on the melamine-related food recalls.
In addition, pet owners are reminded that a number of human cases of salmonella have been reported in connection with the recent pet food recall affecting Pedigree and more than a dozen other brands. Visit Salmonella Cases Linked to Pet Food Recall for more information on dangers associated with this latest salmonella-related pet food recall.
The Melamine Food Contamination is Traced to Asia.
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