Officials recently said they couldn't do so
Associated Press Nov 29, 08 9:09 AM CST
(AP)
-
Less than two months after federal food regulators said they couldn’t set a safety threshold for melamine in baby formula, they announced a standard that allows for higher levels than those found in US-made batches of the product. FDA officials yesterday set a threshold of one part per million of melamine in formula, provided a related chemical isn't present. They insisted the formulas are safe.
More »
Feds say there's no health risk to babies
Associated Press Nov 25, 08 6:40 PM CST
(AP)
-
Traces of the industrial chemical melamine have been detected in samples of top-selling US infant formula, but federal regulators insist the products are safe. A top official said the levels detected are so low that it would be a "dangerous overreaction" for parents to stop using formula. An outbreak in China has killed at least three infants and sickened 50,000, but the melamine concentrations were 10,000 times higher.
More »
FDA demands independent tests before products can enter
Bloomberg Nov 14, 08 1:43 AM CST
(Newser)
-
All Chinese products containing milk will be blocked at the US border until tests prove they're free of a widely used toxic contaminant, Bloomberg reports . The FDA is demanding independent testing to prove such products are not tainted with melamine like those which sickened 50,000 children in China. The chemical was first discovered in infant milk powder but has since been found in many other products containing milk.
More »
Salty foods, lack of water, and obesity
may be at fault
New York Times Oct 28, 08 1:14 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Once associated with middle age, kidney stones are growing more common among US children, the New York Times reports. A few decades ago, physicians would “see a kid with a stone once every few months,” says one doctor. “Now we see kids once a week or less.” The increase comes from factors like salty diets and drinking too little water; some doctors link the stones to childhood obesity.
More »
Fears sparked about widespread tainting
Associated Press Oct 21, 08 12:53 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
About 1,500 Chinese raccoon dogs, bred specially for their fur, have died after eating tainted food over the last two months, the AP reports, raising fears of rampant misuse of the chemical melamine. The discovery comes as melamine-tainted milk has sickened thousands of babies with kidney stones and been tied to four deaths.
More »
All products over a month old pulled from shelves
BBC Oct 14, 08 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
In an effort to reassure its milk-drinking public, China has issued a complete recall on any milk, powdered or liquid, made more than a month ago, the BBC reports. The products will return to shelves only after passing a quality test and receiving an approval sticker, according to the state news service. It is the first such blanket recall since last month’s tainted milk scandal.
More »
Men nabbed in main dairy region
Reuters Oct 6, 08 2:50 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Six people have been arrested in connection with the tainted milk scandal in China, Reuters reports. The arrests were made in Hohhot, capital of China's main dairy producing region. Thousands of Chinese children have developed kidney problems from drinking milk formula contaminated by melamine. Four have died.
More »
Courts have yet to accept case in melamine scandal
Wall Street Journal Sep 30, 08 3:11 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Parents of a sick 1-year-old filed the first lawsuit in China's melamine scandal today, reports the Wall Street Journal . The case, yet to be accepted by China's courts, seeks $21,900 from the makers of Sanlu milk powder for expenses related to the kidney stones they say their son developed from drinking Sanlu. China’s courts are under government influence, and some lawyers report being pressured from pursuing the high-profile issue.
More »
Latest product recalled for melamine traces
CNN Sep 30, 08 12:43 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Lipton Milk Tea is the latest product to be recalled in the melamine scare that started with tainted infant formula in China. Unilever is recalling the tea brand from stores in Hong Kong and Macau after finding traces of the industrial chemical in it, CNN reports. Company officials described the recall as precautionary and said no other products were affected.
More »
Melamine concerns prompt recall, probe
Australia's News Network Sep 29, 08 9:48 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Kraft and Mars are investigating claims by the Indonesian government that products including Oreos, M&Ms, and Snickers imported from China are tainted with melamine, PerthNow reports. The company notes that the products tested melamine-free elsewhere in Asia, and suggests that they could be counterfeit. Still, the firms are supporting a recall. Meanwhile, Cadbury is pulling 11 chocolate products from Hong Kong shelves, the BBC reports.
More »
Sales of candy made with contaminated milk halted as crisis spreads
BBC Sep 26, 08 4:09 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Dozens of countries are hopping to get China-made White Rabbit candy off store shelves after the milk-based treat was found to contain melamine, the BBC reports. The company has halted sales worldwide, and issued warnings about candy remaining in stores. The chemical has also been found to have sickened two baby orangutans and a lion cub raised on tainted infant formula in a Chinese zoo, the Telegraph reports.
More »
As babies fall ill, the rich turn to a stranger's arms, rented breast
Wall Street Journal Sep 24, 08 7:06 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Many Chinese mothers are returning to breastfeeding as infant formula sickens thousands of babies, reports the Wall Street Journal, but in a growing number of wealthy families the breasts are rented. The ancient practice of wet nursing has been reborn, but with a capitalist bent: "Many people look down on this job. I do it because I have no other method to earn more money," says one wet nurse.
More »
AFP Sep 21, 08 1:18 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
The number of Chinese babies hospitalized with kidney problems after drinking contaminated milk formula has skyrocketed to 13,000, the country's health ministry said today —more than double previous estimates of 6,000. Four children have died so far, AFP reports, in the outbreak blamed on melamine, the same chemical at fault in last year's widespread pet food recall.
More »
Melamine found in 10% of milk from top dairies; massive recalls begin
BBC Sep 19, 08 10:55 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Milk from some of China's biggest dairies has been found to contain poisonous melamine, prompting authorities to clear shelves of dairy products, in addition to the earlier recall of tainted infant formula, the BBC reports. A watchdog group found the banned chemical in 10% of samples from three dairies, including the two largest. Milk suppliers are suspected of diluting milk and then adding melamine to make the protein content appear higher.
More »