‘Made in USA’ Foods May Be Contaminated
Potentially toxic Chinese ingredients not inspected before use in U.S.
Created: October 6, 2008
A supermarket employee removes milk products from the store's shelves in Taipei on Sept. 24, 2008. (Patrick
Food labeled as made in the U.S.A. could contain tainted ingredients from China. Amid recent concerns over the safety of food products from China, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it has stepped up efforts to increase screening imports. The screening applies only to food products, and not to raw ingredients.
“That [screening] doesn’t cover the ingredients—ingredients are exempt,” says Henri Morris, President and CEO of Edible Software. “A lot of stuff is falling through the cracks.” Morris's company supplies inventory control and management accounting software to wholesale food distributors.
The inspections and testing are legally only required to focus on products, and not ingredients put into products in the U.S. and labeled as originating in the U.S.
According to the FDA’s Country of Origin rule, “a statement of the country of origin on the labeling of imported foods is not required by the Federal Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Act”. The regulation is required by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Under FDA rules, when further reprocessing occurs or material is added to the imported product, it results as a “substantial transformation” of the product. The country of origin can then be changed on the product. According to Morris, this means that ingredients such as milk powder, whey powder, milk concentrate and other items from China could be put into products that could then be labeled as “made in the U.S.A.” He adds that the current system offers little protection for consumers.
“You can try and be very careful about what you consume at home,” says Morris about avoiding possible melamine-tainted products from China. “But what happens when you go out to eat and are at a restaurant?”
The FDA could not be reached for comment, but according to a statement released on Oct. 6, the agency has stepped up efforts to root out tainted products making their way into the U.S. Blue Cat Flavor Drinks, White Rabbit Creamy Candies and Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea products were found to contain melamine. Recalls of the products are underway, and according to the FDA no known cases of illness have occurred in the U.S.
“The FDA has increased inspections and product testing efforts in response to the melamine contamination problem which originated in Chinese dairy products,” reads the statement. The inspections and testing are legally only required to focus on products, and not ingredients put into products in the U.S. that are then labeled as originating in the U.S.
Despite FDA assurances that imports are being closely watched, Morris contends that the current law is a loophole for potentially hazardous ingredients that could make their way into the food supply without public knowledge.
“The big thing is the accountability and the traceability of the inventory,” says Morris, who calls the current system “laughable”.
“This [FDA checks] is where the traceability should be at its strongest, but it is at its weakest,” adds Morris. “The problem is not just traceability. I don’t know if enough is being done.”
Chris Waldrop, Director of the Food Policy Institute at the Consumer Federation of America, a consumer advocacy organization, believes that the FDA needs more authority, a better inspection system, strong analytics, newer technology and improved sampling.
“We should draw a line in the sand,” says Waldrop, who adds that the FDA should be tougher on those who want to import to the U.S. “If you [China] can't meet our standards, then you shouldn't import to us.”
The FDA has a history of struggling to monitor imports from China. In July, 2007, the FDA's Deputy Commissioner for International and Special Programs Murray Lumpkin testified before a House of Representatives Committee about Chinese imports, citing “a pattern of substandard products that continue to be shipped to the U.S.” Almost a year later, in April, 2008, FDA representative Don Kramer testified that the “safety of food and other products from China remains a concern for FDA, Congress, and American consumers.”
The FDA is the U.S. government agency responsible for protecting the public health by ensuring the safety of the nation’s food supply. It monitors and inspects all fish and seafood, grain, produce, and food ingredient imports, amounting to about 80 percent of the nation's imported food. Meat, poultry and eggs are monitored and inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.
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