China’s food supplies - Melamine contamination

Melamine in food from China has been found in various products since last year, leading to massive recalls of pet food in 2007 and milk products last month. And now, Hong Kong food inspectors have found melamine in eggs supplied from China.

This latest incidence of melamine contamination is fueling concerns that China’s food supplies may be more widely contaminated with this industrial chemical than previously thought.

China supplies 60 percent of the eggs consumed in Hong Kong and Chinese egg products are exported to Japan and the United States, according to the Web site of the Chinese Agriculture Ministry.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration are monitoring developments in the melamine-contaminated eggs outbreak to determine if it needs to take further action. It may expand its inspection and product sampling activities, depending on the outcome of this latest incident to sully the “Made in China” label.

As usual, the Chinese government has tried to project an image of taking bold steps to handle the crisis. It promised harsh punishment on those responsible. In response to last month’s food scare, it promised to overhaul its food safety system, arrested dozens of people and dismissed high-ranking officials.

Authorities are trying to determine how melamine contaminated the eggs and conducting spot checks in various supermarkets.

Food safety officials speculate that melamine in the eggs could have come from melamine-laced animal feed eaten by the chickens that laid them. They also worry that if melamine has tainted chicken feed, the possibility exists that other types of animal feed, such as hog and fish feeds, might also be affected.

The other distressing aspect of this food scare is the refusal of Chinese government officials to be more open about information concerning contamination in their products.

In last month’s contaminated milk scare, local officials knew about the contamination as early as August — at least one month before a reporter broke the news. In this current contamination on eggs, the local government has admitted that officials knew about the contamination since September, long before Hong Kong authorities disclosed their findings over the weekend.

Consumers always learn of the contaminations from other sources, not the Chinese government. The local government in the northeastern port city of Dalian, where the eggs were produced, said it was first alerted on Sept. 27 but did not say anything about the reasons for delay.

Melamine is an industrial chemical used in the manufacture of plastics, paints and adhesives. It can cause kidney stones and kidney failure. Infants are the most at risk from exposure.

Melamine has been at the core of contamination scandals involving Chinese products ranging from toothpaste to pet food to milk powder.