Ask the Dietitian
By Althea Zanecosky, MS, RD, LDN
Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association
February 2009
Q: A few months ago, many Chinese infants and children were hospitalized after drinking contaminated milk and milk formulas. Could a similar situation happen in the United States?
A: There was considerable news coverage in the fall of 2008 when China recalled milk products due to the addition of melamine, an industrial chemical used in plastics and fertilizer production. This contamination of milk led to a crisis in China when 54,000 infants were exposed to this dangerous compound. More than 300 children were hospitalized and the death of four babies was reported. China is still wrestling with the tainted milk scandal that affected products around the world.
Since the problem that occurred in China, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a Health Information Advisory to 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. Although no trace of infant formula from China has turned up in this country, U.S. authorities said they are taking added precautions to keep out tainted milk products.
Melamine, the additive that caused problems in China's milk, contains nitrogen, which increases the protein content in milk when tested. By adding this compound, milk appears to have a higher protein content and nutrient value. The addition was an attempt by some Chinese dairy operations to artificially provide their product with a higher nutrient level. In the U.S., as in China, placing melamine in milk is considered adulteration, and it’s against the law. But unlike China, the U.S. has a more-sophisticated system of testing milk for foreign substances.
American dairy products are among the safest in the world. U.S. produced milk and dairy foods go through extensive and rigorous safety and quality tests before they reach the grocery store. Dairy farms and plants must meet stringent federal and local regulations, including those developed by the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), FDA and state regulatory agencies.
Melamine had never been detected in the U.S. milk supply or in dairy products manufactured in this country. But in January 2009, the FDA identified melamine (and its byproduct cyanuric acid) in four of 89 containers of infant formula tested. The concentrations detected in the U.S. infant formula samples were 0.25 parts per million - 10,000 times smaller than those found in the Chinese melamine contamination (where there was as much as 2,500 parts per million). The new results were seen as a result of the manufacturing process and not labeled adulteration or contamination; there have been no recalls of formula in the U.S.
Quality and safety are the top priorities of U.S. dairy product suppliers. State-of-the-art technology, stringent regulatory standards and years of collaboration with dairy industry customers have made the United States a trusted dairy ingredients supplier to both domestic and global buyers.
For more information about dairy safety, visit the following Web sites:
http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/NationalDairyCouncil/Nutrition/Safety/foodSafety.htm
http://www.dairyfarmingtoday.org/DairyFarmingToday/Home
For more information about the FDA advisory and resources on melamine:
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01883.html
http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/melamine_qa.html