FDA To Test For Contaminated Foods

Hogs fed melamine-tainted feed have been quarantined in as many as six states, and the federal government is launching an investigation of other common ingredients used to make human foods. Six grain products - wheat gluten, corn gluten, corn meal, soy protein, rice bran and rice protein - will be tested for traces of melamine, the chemical thought to have sickened and killed pets that ate tainted food prior to the recall of more than 100 brands earlier this spring. Health officials say there is little research into the effects of melamine in humans, but they don't expect significant health consequences. In pets, it damaged kidneys. The contamination has exposed the complexity of the food system, and the FDA's acknowledged inability to ensure its safety. Food is manufactured at nearly 440,000 facilities in 170 countries, and what's more The Daily Green has learned that citizens, journalists and others are barred from learning basic information about those facilities. To learn more, read our story, Law Hides Food Data.