Milk Scare

Not sure if this is affecting countries outsides of Asia, but there is a massive milk scare with the recent discovery that melamine, a toxic industrial chemical, has been added to milk powders and baby formulas produced by several manufacturers in mainland China. And yes, the manufacturers knew that melamine was toxic, but apparently it increases the protein content of the processed milk, which is a huge selling point, and they kept quiet about it even after health problems began to surface. As it is a chemical, melamine is difficult for our bodies to absorb. Rumor has it that consuming small amounts of it is not terribly hazardous as it can be expelled through excrement, but consuming large amounts may result in the product getting stuck in our bodies. Scores of babies in China have been diagnosed with kidney stones, a rare occurrence at that tender age, and the death count from this toxic milk is also on the rise. It's not enough that this stuff is added to processed milk, it is an additive in some fresh milk too.

There's a scare that these powders are also being consumed in Taiwan, and already there are reports of a few vendors using Chinese milk products. Yesterday, my teacher was telling us that the Taiwanese government is conducting tests on a lot of products that may contain milk powder, and in the last two days, it came to light that the very popular Mr. Brown coffee brand uses Chinese milk powder in their coffee mix. One of my Japanese classmates, who likes to drink their coffee mix, was thoroughly horrified. Ovaltine is also being tested, which makes me really nervous because I love Ovaltine and its malty goodness, and bought a big jar of it recently thinking it might be safe because it was manufactured in Thailand (not China), but with our global Fordist economy, I suppose one would have to question if Ovaltine imported the milk powder from China, mixed it together in Thailand with ingredients from half a dozen other countries, before packaging it in a nice shiny jar to be imported into a supermarket shelf in Taipei.

Maybe I should stick to soymilk for the time being.


For extra credit, you can check out these articles on the scare:
Bitter taste over China baby milk
China's growing scandal involving milk powder suggests the country is still not able to protect its citizens from tainted food products. (BBC News)

Chinese milk fears spread in Asia
Countries across Asia are testing Chinese dairy products as fears spread over melamine-tainted milk - and some have banned these products outright. (BBC News)

More materials tainted with melamine
CRISIS: Officials said that it will confiscate and destroy contaminated raw materials and that it has instructed local health authorities to track down all tainted products (Taipei Times)
[CJL: Taiwan is doing a total crackdown of dairy products, requiring massive recalls, and offering free health exams!]