FDA Issues Health Warning on Infant Formula from China

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Federal health officials are reminding consumers that infant formula manufactured in China is illegal in the U.S. and should be avoided, as contaminated milk powder has been linked to at least two infant deaths and over 1,200 illnesses in China.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Health Information Advisory on Friday, "advising caregivers not to feed infant formula manufactured in China to infants" and assuring consumers that "there is no known threat of contamination in infant formula manufactured by companies that have met the requirements to sell infant formula in the United States." According to the FDA, manufacturers who have met federal health requirements for marketing milk-based infant formulas in the U.S. are: Abbott Nutritionals, Mead Johnson Nutritionals, Nestle USA, PBM Nutritionals, and Solus Products LLC.
In China, contaminated milk powder has been linked to 1,253 cases of infant illness, including at least two deaths and 340 hospitalizations, the New York Times reports. Early investigation has revealed that the powder formula was tainted with melamine, a chemical used in the manufacturing of plastics.
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Chinese Baby Formula Scandal Widens as 2nd Death Is Announced  
By JIM YARDLEY
Published: September 15, 2008
BEIJING — China’s Ministry of Health announced on Monday that a second baby had died in recent months and that 1,253 others had been sickened by contaminated milk powder in a widening food safety scandal that has exposed persistent weaknesses in the country’s regulatory system.


Babies who had been fed Sanlu milk powder were checked on Sunday at a hospital in Nanjing.

Related


The tainted milk powder has been traced to the Sanlu Group, one of China’s biggest dairy producers, which operates as a joint venture with a New Zealand-based dairy conglomerate, Fonterra. China does not export milk powder to the United States.


The tainted milk has renewed concerns about China’s system of food safety regulation, even as Communist Party leaders have pledged to improve oversight, with the country now a major food exporter.

Chinese regulators have repeatedly failed to detect food safety problems in a timely manner. Moreover, despite ample evidence that secrecy tends to compound safety problems, companies and local officials still appear determined to minimize or cover up problems in the food supply rather than alert the public.

Fonterra, the New Zealand conglomerate that owns a 43 percent share in Sanlu, said it first learned last month that the Chinese company was selling contaminated powder. On Monday, New Zealand officials blamed local Chinese officials for failing to take action until the New Zealand government contacted the central authorities in Beijing.

The prime minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark, said Fonterra officials had been “trying for weeks to get official recall, and the local authorities in China would not do it.”

“I think the first inclination was to try and put a towel over it and deal with it without an official recall,” she said, according to Television New Zealand, a government network.

Last year, the pet food scandal touched off a trade dispute between the United States and China. Chinese regulators responded last year with a high-profile crackdown and banned such uses of melamine. Regulators expressed outrage about the latest problems, but did not clarify why it took so long to uncover.

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FDA News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 12, 2008
Media Inquiries:
Judy Leon, 301-827-3314 or 301-696-8921
Consumer Inquiries:
888-INFO-FDA


FDA Issues Health Information Advisory on Infant Formula

In response to reports of contaminated milk-based infant formula manufactured in China, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today is issuing a Health Information Advisory. This is to assure the American public that there is no known threat of contamination in infant formula manufactured by companies that have met the requirements to sell infant formula in the United States.

Although no Chinese manufacturers of infant formula have fulfilled the requirements to sell infant formula in the United States, FDA officials are investigating whether or not infant formula manufactured in China is being sold in specialty markets which serve the Asian community.

The FDA is advising caregivers not to feed infant formula manufactured in China to infants. This should be replaced with an appropriate infant formula manufactured in the United States as mentioned below. Individuals should contact their health care professional if they have questions regarding their infant’s health or if they note changes in their infant’s health status.

The FDA began investigating the reports of contamination immediately and received information from the companies who manufacture infant formula for the American market that they are not importing infant formula or source materials from China.

The following manufacturers have met the necessary FDA requirements for marketing milk-based infant formulas in the United States:

Abbott Nutritionals, Mead Johnson Nutritionals, Nestle USA, PBM Nutritionals, and Solus Products LLC. Also, one manufacturer, SHS/Nutricia, Liverpool, England, markets an amino acid based exempt infant formula that does not contain any milk-derived ingredients.

We are asking state officials to work with the Agency to assist with the removal of any Chinese infant formula found on store shelves, and to warn members of the Asian community to avoid using Chinese manufactured infant formula.

It has been reported that a number of infants in China who have consumed Chinese manufactured infant formula are suffering from kidney stones, a condition which is rare in infants.  The Chinese manufactured infant formula may be contaminated with melamine. Melamine artificially increases the protein profile of milk and can causes kidney diseases such as those seen in these Chinese infants.

FDA requires that all infant formula manufacturers register with the Agency and adhere to specific labeling and nutritional requirements.  All properly registered infant formula manufacturers marketing infant formula in the United States undergo an annual inspection of their production facilities.

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FDA Statement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Statement September 20, 2008

Media Inquiries: Stephanie Kwisnek, 301-827-0955 Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

FDA Updates Health Information Advisory on Melamine Contamination On September 12, 2008, in light of reports from China of melamine contaminated infant formula, the FDA issued a Health Information Advisory to proactively reassure the American public that there is no known threat of contamination in infant formula manufactured by companies that have met the requirements to sell such products in the United States. That advisory also warned members of Chinese communities in the United States that infant formula manufactured in China, possibly available for purchase at Asian markets, could pose a risk to infants.

The FDA had contacted the companies who manufacture infant formula for distribution in the United States and received information from the companies that they are not importing formula or source materials from China.
At the same time, the FDA—in conjunction with state and local officials—began a nation-wide investigation to check Asian markets for Chinese manufactured infant formula that may have been brought into the United States. In particular, this effort focused on areas of the country with large Chinese communities, such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and New York. To date, investigators have visited more than 1,000 retail markets and have not found Chinese infant formula present on shelves in these markets.

In addition, the FDA is advising consumers not to purchase infant formula manufactured in China from internet sites or from other sources.

FDA has taken, and will continue to take, proactive measures to help ensure the safety of the American food supply. In conjunction with state and local officials, FDA will continue to check retail stores for food items imported from China that could contain a significant amount of milk or milk proteins. Additionally, FDA is sampling and testing milk and milk-derived ingredients and finished food products that could contain these ingredients from Chinese sources. Milk-derived ingredients include whole milk powder, non-fat milk powder, whey powder, lactose powder, and casein. This sampling and testing is done when these ingredients or products are imported into the United States or found during visits to Asian markets. If the products are adulterated because they contain melamine and/or a melamine analog, FDA will take action to prevent the products from entering the U.S. food supply.
In addition to state and local governments, FDA is working in close cooperation with Customs and Border Protection within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, other federal agencies, and foreign governments.

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FDA Proposes Label Requirements for Refused Imported Foods
Measure would further protect the nation’s food supply

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小意0523 2008-9-20 23:53 威望 +5 一见E文我就头疼。
小意0523 2008-9-20 23:53 金钱 +5 一见E文我就头疼。

大概瞄一眼就行，看看人家的食品和药检局在干什么！

因小失大呀，食品以后估计很难能进米国了！ 俺们就自产自销吧！