FDA issues warning on imported Chinese baby formula

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  • BloodEclipse

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    The agency says that dozens of children in that country have fallen ill and at least one died from kidney problems after consuming tainted formula.

    By Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
    September 12, 2008

    Federal officials on Thursday warned consumers to avoid buying any infant formula imported from China, citing reports of dozens of babies in that country who fell ill with kidney stones after drinking a brand called Sanlu, resulting in at least one death.

    The warning was aimed at Chinese American communities across the United States, including Southern California, home to one of the largest ethnic Chinese populations in the nation.



    Importing Chinese-manufactured baby formula into the U.S. is illegal, but federal officials say they know of at least one case in which a Chinese brand was found in a New York store in 2004.

    "We're concerned that there may be some formula that has come in illegally and could potentially be in the ethnic Chinese markets," said Janice Oliver, a deputy director at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in College Park, Md.

    There is no indication that tainted formula has made it onto U.S. store shelves.


    The FDA has strict regulatory authority over baby formula and allows only six companies to distribute it in the United States. None of the firms import ingredients from China, Oliver said.

    The six manufacturers are Abbott Nutrition, Mead Johnson Nutritionals, Nestle USA, PBM Nutritionals, Solus Products -- which are all based in the U.S. -- and SHS/Nutricia, based in Britain.

    The contaminant in the Chinese infant formula is melamine, the same substance found in tainted pet food that sickened or killed thousands of dogs and cats in 2007.

    The addition of melamine, which is normally found in plastics, can make food appear, in testing, to have higher levels of protein. Ingestion of melamine can cause kidney failure.

    Cat Chao, a Mandarin-language radio host for Pasadena-based KAZN-AM (1300), said the brand of the tainted baby formula, Sanlu, is popular in China, but said she didn't believe it was available in the U.S.

    Nonetheless, the news was a topic of conversation among her co-workers Thursday.

    "We do feel like those business guys who want to make money from this product, sometimes you really get angry at those people," Chao said.

    In the meantime, Sanlu company officials ordered a recall of its infant formula on Friday, according to the China Daily, the Chinese state-run English newspaper.

    The recall came a day after the death of an infant in the northwestern province of Gansu, the newspaper reported.

    The infant was among 59 who have been diagnosed with kidney stones in Gansu province this year; there were none in 2006 and 2007.

    Reports of kidney stones in infants have spread to six other provinces, according to Chinese media reports.

    This is not the first time that problems have been identified with baby formula made in China.

    The FDA said that in 2004, Chinese-manufactured infant formula was found in an ethnic Chinese market in New York .

    There were no reported illnesses, but lab tests found low quantities of protein, fat, calcium and magnesium in the formula.

    Earlier that year in China, at least 13 babies died and more than 170 suffered serious malnutrition when they drank fake milk powder in the impoverished eastern province of Anhui, which is one of the seven provinces affected by the current illnesses.

    Lab tests showed that the purported formula was made of starch, flour and sugar.


    This is getting worse all the time. I try like hell to make sure my products do not come from china. What worries me though is even if it is made here it can be made with ingredients from china.:xmad:
     

    Bill of Rights

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    The agency says that dozens of children in that country have fallen ill and at least one died from kidney problems after consuming tainted formula.

    By Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
    September 12, 2008

    Federal officials on Thursday warned consumers to avoid buying any infant formula imported from China, citing reports of dozens of babies in that country who fell ill with kidney stones after drinking a brand called Sanlu, resulting in at least one death.

    The warning was aimed at Chinese American communities across the United States, including Southern California, home to one of the largest ethnic Chinese populations in the nation.



    Importing Chinese-manufactured baby formula into the U.S. is illegal, but federal officials say they know of at least one case in which a Chinese brand was found in a New York store in 2004.

    "We're concerned that there may be some formula that has come in illegally and could potentially be in the ethnic Chinese markets," said Janice Oliver, a deputy director at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in College Park, Md.

    There is no indication that tainted formula has made it onto U.S. store shelves.


    The FDA has strict regulatory authority over baby formula and allows only six companies to distribute it in the United States. None of the firms import ingredients from China, Oliver said.

    The six manufacturers are Abbott Nutrition, Mead Johnson Nutritionals, Nestle USA, PBM Nutritionals, Solus Products -- which are all based in the U.S. -- and SHS/Nutricia, based in Britain.

    The contaminant in the Chinese infant formula is melamine, the same substance found in tainted pet food that sickened or killed thousands of dogs and cats in 2007.

    The addition of melamine, which is normally found in plastics, can make food appear, in testing, to have higher levels of protein. Ingestion of melamine can cause kidney failure.

    Cat Chao, a Mandarin-language radio host for Pasadena-based KAZN-AM (1300), said the brand of the tainted baby formula, Sanlu, is popular in China, but said she didn't believe it was available in the U.S.

    Nonetheless, the news was a topic of conversation among her co-workers Thursday.

    "We do feel like those business guys who want to make money from this product, sometimes you really get angry at those people," Chao said.

    In the meantime, Sanlu company officials ordered a recall of its infant formula on Friday, according to the China Daily, the Chinese state-run English newspaper.

    The recall came a day after the death of an infant in the northwestern province of Gansu, the newspaper reported.

    The infant was among 59 who have been diagnosed with kidney stones in Gansu province this year; there were none in 2006 and 2007.

    Reports of kidney stones in infants have spread to six other provinces, according to Chinese media reports.

    This is not the first time that problems have been identified with baby formula made in China.

    The FDA said that in 2004, Chinese-manufactured infant formula was found in an ethnic Chinese market in New York .

    There were no reported illnesses, but lab tests found low quantities of protein, fat, calcium and magnesium in the formula.

    Earlier that year in China, at least 13 babies died and more than 170 suffered serious malnutrition when they drank fake milk powder in the impoverished eastern province of Anhui, which is one of the seven provinces affected by the current illnesses.

    Lab tests showed that the purported formula was made of starch, flour and sugar.


    This is getting worse all the time. I try like hell to make sure my products do not come from china. What worries me though is even if it is made here it can be made with ingredients from china.:xmad:

    :+1:

    Tainted products, especially baby food, are no laughing matter.

    I have to say, though... "Cat Chao"? :lmfao:

    I hope that the people responsible for intentionally tainting baby formula (and other products) enjoy that special place in Hell waiting for them.

    To those who were injured by it, Blessings,
    B
     

    flagtag

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    Has anyone else noticed that China has a big problem with safety/health issues in the products that are exported to the USA? Or is it just my imagination?
    (I'm sorry, I just don't believe that they are all accidents)
     

    BloodEclipse

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    Has anyone else noticed that China has a big problem with safety/health issues in the products that are exported to the USA? Or is it just my imagination?
    (I'm sorry, I just don't believe that they are all accidents)

    I read this story a few months ago:
    TOKYO: The government said Friday that at least 175 people in Japan were sickened by insecticide-tainted dumplings from China, prompting supermarkets to pull Chinese-made meat products from their shelves while Tokyo pressed Beijing to improve food safety.

    Japan at the time was accusing China of intentional poisoning.

    I can't find the story I read, but the dumbass Chinese recalled them all and then redistributed them inside of China where many more became ill.
     

    flagtag

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    Well, hey! Money's money! You don't really expect them to consider the health/lives of the people when that would interfere with making a buck (Yen?) do you?
     

    Bigum1969

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    The Chinese manufacture much of the world's products and they do it on the cheap. They also have very little regulation.

    We, as consumers, like to spend $2 for our underwear from WalMart. We feed the Chinese machine. But, we've got to ensure they have higher production standards for things imported to the US that can harm us or our children.

    The Japanese used to have a reputation for poorly made products. They turned that around and now are considered to be a country that manufactures high end and precision products.
     

    BloodEclipse

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    Update:
    BEIJING - China's Health Ministry says two infants have died from ingesting contaminated milk powder and 1,253 have been sickened.
    Hundreds more remain under observation in hospitals, the ministry says.
    As of Monday morning, 913 infants are only slightly affected and their condition was not considered life threatening, Vice Health Minister Ma Xiaowei told reporters at a news conference in Beijing.
    However, 340 remain hospitalized and 53 cases were considered especially severe, he said.
    No information was given about the fatalities, although authorities had earlier announced one death.
    The number of diagnosed cases of contamination with the industrial chemical melamine was more than double the previous figure of about 580.
     

    flagtag

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    Update:
    BEIJING - China's Health Ministry says two infants have died from ingesting contaminated milk powder and 1,253 have been sickened.
    Hundreds more remain under observation in hospitals, the ministry says.
    As of Monday morning, 913 infants are only slightly affected and their condition was not considered life threatening, Vice Health Minister Ma Xiaowei told reporters at a news conference in Beijing.
    However, 340 remain hospitalized and 53 cases were considered especially severe, he said.
    No information was given about the fatalities, although authorities had earlier announced one death.
    The number of diagnosed cases of contamination with the industrial chemical melamine was more than double the previous figure of about 580.

    Prayers going out to those children and their families. That is SO sad!
     

    ar15junkie

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    I'm trying to figure out who would feed illegal Chinese formula to their baby. :scratch:

    Could be someone that did not check the label on the food they purchased. Could happen to any of us really.

    I don't understand why I have search all over a product package to see where it is made. After the numerous food incidents we've had with China, companies should be required to use up a quarter of the front of their package to mark its Chinese origin. This way it would be easy to tell.

    Truth be told though some time back it was discovered that china was using lead paint on kids toys. Before that was toothpaste and before that dog food.
     

    Crystalship1

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    Could be someone that did not check the label on the food they purchased. Could happen to any of us really.

    I don't understand why I have search all over a product package to see where it is made. After the numerous food incidents we've had with China, companies should be required to use up a quarter of the front of their package to mark its Chinese origin. This way it would be easy to tell.

    Truth be told though some time back it was discovered that china was using lead paint on kids toys. Before that was toothpaste and before that dog food.

    Remember.... As far as us here in the U.S.: "There is no indication that tainted formula has made it onto U.S. store shelves" :yesway:
     

    Crystalship1

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    :dunno: I don't see how it matters. Babies somewhere are still sick and dying.

    After the numerous food incidents we've had with China, companies should be required to use up a quarter of the front of their package to mark its Chinese origin.

    I was reminding everyone that we here in the U.S. are OK. By the above it would appear that you were talking about us. By in far, the Chinese themselves are having the issue and since they probably don't avoid their own products......... :dunno:

    Only an ass would try to dismiss an issue in where there are children dying and I sir... am not an ass. :rolleyes:
     
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    Mrs. Hoppes

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    I heard about this last night. We make a concerted effort to avoid anything from China which is hard. When we were shopping for Christmas gifts for the children last year, there were all kinds of "Oh, Charlie would love that" or "Bethany would definitely want that." We would look to see where it was made and sure enough, it said "China" so we put it back on the shelf.

    We did find some things made in America for them that they still enjoy playing with.
     
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