FDA set Melamine Standard For Baby Formula?

US FDA Setting Melamine Standard For Baby Formula.


Jasmin says "Shouldn't the standard be zero melamine in baby formula? Why would mummies even agree to feeding their babies melamine, no matter how minute!"

Please forward this blog article to a friend who is feeding the child milk formula for them to be aware of the latest milk info.

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What another mummy says about it.

Date: Sunday, November 30, 2008, 10:59 PM (Yahoo Foodlab Forum)

What? a couple of days ago no Melamine was acceptable now we have a standard of 1 part in a million..

This chemical shows higher protein levels when tested but in the body just posses a threat to your child's kidney and liver..(from what I have gathered..)

I never used formula and I am angry..I hope everyone that does use it is angry and says no..maybe the formula makers will rethink this decision..

be blessed and be a blessing~

Robbin Larsonmomma to Zoey (3 yrs old)

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here's the link about the approval from the FDA
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081129/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/infant_formula



FDA sets melamine standard for baby formula

By JOAN LOWY and JUSTIN PRITCHARD, Associated Press Writers Joan Lowy And Justin Pritchard, Associated Press Writers – Sat Nov 29, 11:40 am ET


WASHINGTON – Two months ago, federal food regulators said they were unable to set a safety threshold for the industrial chemical melamine in baby formula. Now, however, they found a way to settle on a standard that allows for higher levels than those found in U.S.-made batches of the product.

Food and Drug Administration officials on Friday set a threshold of 1 part per million of melamine in formula, provided a related chemical is not present. They insisted the formulas are safe.

The development comes days after The Associated Press reported that FDA tests found traces of melamine in the infant formula of one major U.S. manufacturer and cyanuric acid, a chemical relative, in the formula of a second major maker. The contaminated samples, which both measured at levels below the new standard, were analyzed several weeks ago.

The FDA had said in early October it was unable to set a safety contamination level for melamine in infant formula.

Dr. Stephen Sundlof, the FDA's director of food safety, said Friday the agency was confident in the 1 part per million level for either of the chemicals alone, even though there have been no new scientific studies since October that would give regulators more safety data. He had no ready explanation for why the level was not set earlier.

The standard is the same as the one public health officials have set in Canada and China, but is 20 times higher than the most stringent level in Taiwan.

The problem of melamine in infant formula first surfaced in China in September.

Sundlof said the lack of dual contamination was key because studies so far show dangerous health effects only when both chemicals are present. He emphasized that neither of the two tainted samples had both contaminants.

The agency still will not set a safety level for melamine if cyanuric acid is also present, he said.
Both the new safety level and the amount of the chemical found in U.S.-made infant formula are far below the amounts of melamine added to infant formula in China that have been blamed for killing at least three babies and making thousands ill.

"The levels were so low ... that they do not cause a health risk to infants," Sundlof said. "Parents using infant formula should continue using U.S.-manufactured infant formula. Switching away from one of these infant formulas to alternate diets or homemade formulas could result in infants not receiving the complete nutrition required for proper growth and development."

A scientist for a national consumer group said it was irresponsible of FDA to assure the public that infant formula is safe based on tests of only 74 samples, especially since cyanuric acid is a byproduct of melamine, making it likely that they will be found together.

"This is a slippery slope of rationalization by FDA," said Urvashi Rangan, a senior scientist with the Consumers Union in New York. "FDA needs to get a handle on how widespread the problem is and, most important, if both these chemicals are occurring in any products. They just haven't tested enough to know that yet."

Earlier this week, members of Congress and the Illinois attorney general demanded a national recall, something FDA said made no sense because it had no evidence suggesting that the formula would be dangerous for babies at the levels of contamination found.

After saying it made an error in its data, the FDA on Wednesday produced these results: Mead Johnson's Infant Formula Powder, Enfamil LIPIL with Iron found melamine at levels of 0.137 and 0.14 parts per million. Three tests of Nestle's Good Start Supreme Infant Formula with Iron detected an average of 0.247 parts per million of cyanuric acid.

Separately, a third major formula maker — Abbott Laboratories, whose brands include Similac — told AP that in-house tests had detected trace levels of melamine in its infant formula. Those levels were below what FDA found in the other formulas, an Abbott spokesman said, and below any national safety guidelines.

Abbott Laboratories, Nestle and Mead Johnson make more than 90 percent of all infant formula produced in the United States

The agency had left the impression of a zero tolerance on Oct. 3 when it stated: "FDA is currently unable to establish any level of melamine and melamine-related compounds in infant formula that does not raise public health concerns."

The FDA and other experts said they believe the melamine contamination in U.S.-made formula had occurred during the manufacturing process, rather than intentionally. The U.S. government quietly began testing domestically produced infant formula in September, soon after problems with melamine-spiked formula surfaced in China.

Melamine can legally be used in some food packaging, and can rub off into food from there. It's also part of a cleaning solution used on some food processing equipment.

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Pritchard reported from Los Angeles.
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On the Net:
FDA: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/storytext/infant_formula/30064323/SIG=11m4l7ah9;_ylt=Ag0rnpw2jH.OH1aj7eSRzVSWwvIE/*http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/melamine.html

EATING HUMAN FLESH AS FOOD: SOYLENT GREEN THE MOVIE

Ever wondered if humans need to eventually eat dead human flesh to survive in this world? In 1973, a very interesting movie called Soylent Green addressed that issue. The movie talks about how overpopulation caused severe depletion of resources on our beautiful planet Earth. As a result, much of the population had to eat processed food rations. One of the processed food was called Soylent Green.

Unfortunately, what the gigantic Soylent Corporation didn't tell the consumers was that the special Soylent Green product was made from human flesh. Instead, they told the public that the small green wafer was made from high-energy plankton.

The movie was set in the year 2022. That's not too far away people. And today, we see all sorts of things quite relevant to the basic message in the story.

There are not enough food in certain parts of the world while rich nations have too much food. I just cringe when I read about chicken farmers burying innocent chicks alive just to create an artificial demand for more chicken meat (if there's a large demand for chicken, but not enough chicken to buy, the price of chicken will go up)

People are poisoning the food in the name of profits. The latest melamine milk fiasco comes to mind. If you haven't read about my posts about this problem, you can access it at the bottom of this post.

Companies are putting in genetically modified food into our food system, despite the fact that the majority of us do not agree to eating genetically modified food. Scientists are now reporting that genetically modified crops like corn and soy beans are cropping up all over the world. So you think you are not eating these foods? Think again. The only way to avoid them is to unfortunately buy the more expensive certified organic produce that are not genetically modified or grow your own food from seeds that are not genetically modified. It's really not a good thing when we have to look at what we consume this way. It should actually be the other way around. We should have food that are not genetically modified available to us at all times, and not even question the origin. It's like milk. We should not even worry about having basic fresh milk (with no additives, no added DHA, no added vegetable fats, no added coloring, no added sugar, and so on) and not worry if there are dangerous chemicals inside.
Lots of food has cancer causing agents used to preserve the food, and we are still eating them. Look at your food labels. You should be worried if you can't pronounce what's inside your food.

It seems like there are times we don't know what we actually eating.

So what are we to do?

Go back to the basics. Buy organic if you can. Buy local produce if you can. Plant your own food if you can like sprouts which are easy, easy to do.

Jasmin
"Eat Raw Food Today" facebook group


ps if you are new to my posts, please read about how we can enrich depleted soil my making garbage enzymes
http://eatrawfoodtoday.blogspot.com/2008/09/using-garbage-to-clean-your-plates-yes.html
http://eatrawfoodtoday.blogspot.com/2008/09/more-on-garbage-enzyme.html
http://eatrawfoodtoday.blogspot.com/2008/10/garbage-enzyme-photos-recycling-your.html

pps read more about Soylent Green inside http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soylent_Green

ppps I previously written about the melamine milk problem here.
http://eatrawfoodtoday.blogspot.com/2008/09/dutch-lady-strawberry-flavoured-milk.html
http://eatrawfoodtoday.blogspot.com/2008/09/what-china-dairy-products-to-avoid.html
http://eatrawfoodtoday.blogspot.com/2008/09/does-your-biscuits-contain-melamine.html
http://eatrawfoodtoday.blogspot.com/2008/09/bright-side-of-melamine-disaster.html

THE BRIGHT SIDE OF THE MELAMINE DISASTER

The melamine problem is a real disaster but if I can put a positive to this, it’s that the milk industry will finally be better controlled after the dust settles and that’s a good thing for all of us.

Plus, let me tell you, I'm more aware of what I'm feeding my first kid (still breastfeeding second kid) and I'm reading more food labels now. I'm increasingly distress that I can't pronounce many of the ingredients! But raw food? Easy! A carrot is a carrot. Raw milk from a cow is raw milk from a cow. The basics are always better.

Jasmin
"Eat Raw Food Today" facebook group

DOES YOUR BISCUITS CONTAIN MELAMINE?

I was looking through my stash of biscuits, and I noticed that I still have a bunch of China made biscuits I bought from the Chinese medicine shop. One of the ingredients listed is milk.

Now, from the look of things, melamine contaminated milk may have unknowingly been used in many, many China made products. So, I'm taking no chances, and I'm going to put aside ANY China products that has dairy in it until I'm pretty sure they are ok to be consumed.

Jasmin
"Eat Raw Food Today" facebook group

WHAT CHINA DAIRY PRODUCTS TO AVOID?

19 Sept 2008


SINGAPORE'S Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has expanded its checks on milk and dairy products from China for melamine contamination.

The AVA said there are 19 dairy and milk products from China sold here. Among them are well-known products such as Magnum, Meiji and Walls ice cream, Rabbit milk candy, and Monmilk and Yili milk.

There is no China-produced infant formula or milk powder available on shelves in Singapore; however, manufacturers here do use un-branded milk powder and other dairy products made in China, the AVA said.

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Jasmin's comment

This is cause for concern for us Malaysians and Singaporeans. I have checked the internet, and so far, there has not been any news about Malaysian use of China dairy products. It doesn't mean we don't use it here in Malaysia either. It just means, there's no news of it.

The best thing is to avoid any dairy you can't trust it's origin. Better yet, eat raw food. Worried your kids are not getting enough fat? Let them have coconut milk (santan). Sesame seed has very high calcium which is believed to be better absorbed in the stomach than the calcium in cow's milk.

Jasmin
"Eat Raw Food Today" facebook group

ps please inform your friends of this article. I'm sure they would be very concerned about what dairy they are using right now.