USDA to test melamine contamination in meat products
Posted by Administrator (admin) on Dec 17 2008 at 2:46 PM
Melamine >>

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be testing meat and poultry products, including baby food, hot dogs, and chicken nuggets, for melamine.

Testing will be done by the agency’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). USDA decided this following the reports that melamine contamination in some imported foods, especially those contain milk products imported from China, may have spread to meat and poultry as well.

In September, Chinese officials had discovered melamine in the powered baby formula made in that country. Dairy plants purposefully added the dangerous chemical to milk products to make them appear to have rich in protein levels. Melamine-contaminated milk has killed at least six and sickened numerous infants in China.

According to FSIS officials, federal investigators will collect meat and poultry products that contain such milk-derived ingredients as non-fat dried milk, casein, whey, evaporated milk, and milk powder, and test them for melamine over the next 12 weeks.

FSIS is planning to collect 45 samples a week from retail stores. The following products will be tested for melamine contamination:

• Baby food;
• Cooked sausages such as hot dogs or frankfurters with and without cheese products;
• Breaded chicken;
• Meatballs;
• Meat and poultry wrapped in dough and pizza

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