China Makes Arrests in Melamine Scandal
The Government Takes Steps to Crack Down on Melamine Contamination, But Is It Enough?
According to Food Chemical News (November 10), China has arrested the owner of a poultry feed company in Liaoning Province. The numbers are interesting.
Reportedly, he admitted buying 45 tons of melamine in July, using it to produce 287 tons of chicken feed, and selling 212 tons to the Dalian Hanovo Enterprise Group, the company that produced melamine-contaminated eggs sent all over China. The remaining 75 tons has been destroyed.
In the meantime, the Chinese agriculture ministry is reported to have sent 369,000 inspectors to examine 250,000 feed producers, and to have closed down 238 illegal farms. It had already closed down 130 dairy farms, and 20% of the country’s dairy producers are said to be out of operation.
These sound like good steps to get the food safety system under control but what I’m hearing is that the government is dealing with safety problems piecemeal--one food at a time--rather than addressing the system as a whole. Sound familiar?
Marion Nestle
Noted author Marion Nestle is a Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University. She is the author of What to Eat.read full bio.
buy the book
What To Eat: Expert advice on food, health and nutrition issues that are in the news.
Comments | Add a comment
Marion Nestle writes about her strong arguments in favor of public awareness ... read more.
rss
- There's a Word for Coca Cola's Donations to the Grand Canyon
- Industry Could Undermine New Food Marketing Rules for Children
- Tiny Reviews of 10 Notable New Food Books
- Is It the Carbs or the Calories? New Study Pins Weight Gain on Potatoes
- 6 Keys to Fighting Early Childhood Obesity
- Wait, There's Arsenic in Chicken?!
|
||||||||||||
 |
Enter your city or zip code to get your local temperature and air quality and find local green food and recycling resources near you.
|
 |
||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
Connect with Us 
: 
: More Options
