Apparently Chinese exporters aren’t the only creative entrepeneurs who’ve realized the potential of melamine as an additive in food. An Ohio company and the customer to which it sold its products for use in animal feed have recalled the products because of the melamine used as a binding agent:
An Ohio company has long been adding the industrial toxin melamine to animal feed ingredients, and those feeds have been eaten by livestock and fish meant for human consumption, officials with the Food and Drug Administration announced yesterday.
The company used the chemical as a binding agent to hold feed granules in pellet form, in contrast to the recent pet food scandal, which involved imported ingredients that were spiked with melamine to provide a false measure of protein content, officials said.
But as with the pet food scandal, they said, the levels of melamine involved appear to be too low to harm humans who may have eaten animals that consumed the tainted feed.
The company, Tembec BTLSR of Toledo, sold the melamine-laden ingredients to Uniscope of Johnstown, Colo., which used them to make three finished food products — one for cattle, sheep and goats, and two for fish and shrimp.
The contamination came to the FDA’s attention on May 18 after Uniscope officials tested for melamine in the feed components they were buying — something the FDA has been encouraging food producers to do.
The FDA began an investigation the next working day, officials said, and after about 10 days decided how to proceed.
Officials said that Tembec initiated a formal recall of its products yesterday and that the company has stopped adding the chemical.
It remains unclear why Tembec did not stop using melamine months ago, given the intense publicity generated by the recent pet food scandal, during which officials repeatedly made it clear that melamine is not an approved additive for human or animal food.
Is ten days a timely response time? How about the months that elapsed before Tembec ‘fessed up? Or the unknown amount of time that Tembec has been using melamine in its products?
There certainly seems to be a difference of opinion between the FDA and Tembec on the subject of additives in food. The FDA position seems to be that anything not specifically allowed is prohibited and Tembec’s quite the opposite—that anything not specifically banned is acceptable. That the FDA has been producing mixed messages on melamine in food for months, on the one hand saying that the substance isn’t approved as a food additive and on the other stressing that the risk to humans from consuming melamine is low, probably hasn’t helped.
I’m actually of mixed minds on this subject. Is there an approved food additives list? A banned list? Are the lists (if any) inclusive? Is it possible to keep such lists complete and up-to-date? Is the FDA capable of enforcing whatever lists exist?
Who should pay for such enforcement? To me, at least, it’s clear that producers should do so. What process is envisioned? Are all formulations for human or animal food filed with the FDA for approval? Are changes in the formulation reported? I’d be willing to bet not or, at least, that the FDA has no way of knowing whether it’s happening or not.
The Food Additives Amendment to the FD&C act was passed in 1958 and requires that all food additives get FDA approval before they are used. It also stipulates that the firm is responsible for proving the safety and efficacy of the additive (i.e. if it supposed to preserve they have to prove that it prevents spoilage and under what conditions it does so, that kind of thing). Packaging materials are considered an indirect additive and also require FDA approval before commercial use. Once it’s approved, FDA will issue regulations on when and where the additive can be used and how much can be applied.
There is also the Adverse Reaction Monitoring System, that follows up on all consumer or physician complaints of adverse reactions believed to be caused by additives.
There are lists of approved additives, for instance here’s a list of allowed color additives, their current status, including which colorants are banned for each usage:
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/opa-appc.html
Hope I was helpful…