Melamine as a Food Additive - A New Case Study

A new case study was released in October titled "A Case Study of Melamine as a Counterfeit Food Product
Additive in Chinese Human and Animal Food Supply Chain Networks" by Robyn R. Mace

McCormick Fajita Seasonings Recall: Undeclared Milk or...?

The FDA announced a recall today of McCormick Fajita seasoning packets. In October 2008, McCormick Enchilada seasonings were recalled for undeclared milk during the melamine contamination investigations worldwide.

McCormick & Company Has Recalled McCormick Enchilada Sauce Mix

McCormick & Company, Incorporated has announced a recall of McCormick Enchilada Sauce Mix with UPC Code 52100091600 sold under the McCormick brand. The McCormick Enchilada Sauce Mix contains undeclared milk ingredients.

The McCormick Enchilada Sauce Mix was distributed to grocery stores nationally beginning on September 17, 2008. The product comes in 1.5 oz. pouches with an expiration date of "best by" AUG2910CH. The date is found printed in black on the back, bottom left of the pouch.

All grocery outlets that sell McCormick Enchilada Sauce Mix (UPC Code 52100091600 with expiration date "best by" AUG2910CH) have been notified to remove the product from their shelves immediately, and consumers who have purchased this product should return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Consumers with questions may contact McCormick at 1-800-632-5847.

Although it is many months later, I'm assuming that melamine testing is still ongoing. Does the FDA just test food randomly to see if there are milk ingredients in it? Is that how they found the milk ingredients in the Enchilada mix? I'd call the FDA and ask, but I don't have 4 1/2 hours to sit on hold today - maybe another day! In any case, I find the timing interesting; 1) that the first recall took place back in October and 2) that it took seven months for the FDA to recognize that a product almost identical to another product from the same manufacturer has the same undeclared milk issue. Either way FDA is recalling the Fajita mix now. Although it may be undeclared milk ingredients, I wonder where the milk ingredients originated from.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- SPARKS, MD, APRIL 24 – McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) has announced a voluntary recall of Lawry's® Fajitas Spices & Seasonings packages with UPC Code 2150022500 and a “best if used by” date of OCT0110PX62, sold under the Lawry's brand. Lawry's Fajitas Spices & Seasonings packages with this date code contain undeclared milk ingredients. People who have allergies to milk run the risk of serious or life threatening allergic reactions if they consume this product.

The Lawry's Fajita Spices & Seasonings packages were distributed to grocery stores nationally beginning on October 17, 2008. The product is available in 1.27 oz. pouches, and the date code is found printed in black on the back, bottom center of the pouch. The “best if used by” date of OCT0110PX62 is the only date code affected by the recall.

The recall was initiated after it was discovered that product was mispackaged and as a result the ingredient statement on the package did not list milk as an ingredient.

Public Meeting on Economically Motivated Adulteration

Meeting announcement below. Link to FDA site is here.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is announcing a Public Meeting pertaining to economically motivated adulteration (EMA). The purpose of the meeting is to stimulate and focus a discussion about ways in which the food, (including dietary supplements and animal food), drug, medical device and cosmetic industries, regulatory agencies, and other parties can better predict and prevent economically motivated adulteration. FDA invites interested individuals, organizations, and other stakeholders, including industry representatives, to present information pertaining to predicting and preventing EMA of food, (including dietary supplements and animal food), drugs, medical devices and cosmetics. The agency also requests interested parties to submit comments on this issue to the public docket.

Meeting attendees are encouraged to register on-line or contact Deborah Harris, EDJ Associates, Inc., 11300 Rockville Pike, Suite 1001, Rockville, MD 20852, 240-221-4326, email: dharris@edjassociates.com; FAX: 301-945-4295.

For general questions about the meeting, to request on-site parking or for special accommodations due to a disability, contact: Juanita Yates, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, 301-436-1731, e-mail: juanita.yates@fda.hhs.gov.

Federal Register Notice of Meeting

Register Online

Please note the following important dates:

April 16, 2009: Closing date for requests to make an oral presentation
April 23, 2009: Closing date for:
Advance Registration
Provide a brief description of an oral presentation and any written material for the presentation, and
Request special accommodations due to a disability
April 27, 2009: Closing date to request onsite parking

Time To Test Egg Quality (And What About Results of FSIS 97-08?)

Lately I've been wondering why there hasn't been any talk about testing more products for melamine, including eggs. I know some testing is currently underway for meat, meat products like hot dogs and milk products, but why not eggs? When I spoke to Norco farms a few months ago, a spokesperson assured me that there was no melamine in the feed used to feed the animals that producs the eggs labeled "organic" however, he was pretty certain there was melamine in the feed fed to the birds that produced the eggs that receive no organic designation. There was concern in China over tainted eggs. The feed used here in the U.S., and around the world, is known to contain melamine - it's a binding agent. Why isn't anyone testing eggs for melamine contamination and if they are, what is the status of such testing?

Traceability in the Food Supply Chain and More Melamine...

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has found melamine in Fortuna brand sugar crackers. How much melamine is unknown at this point. The tainted product was found at Dragon Star market in St. Paul. Customers are urged to throw out any of these crackers that they may have purchased.

If only we could throw out all the regulations that prevent the public from knowing the source of their food. The Fortuna crackers are reported to have been imported to the U.S. by an Indonesian company. But that's probably all we'll know about the crackers. According to a federal report released today, the government conducted tests to determine the effectiveness of the existing tracing system and food supply chain for 40 food items, and determined that most records of what went where and when were woefully light on detail.

The link to the FULL REPORT can be found by clicking here.

Or cut and paste this into your browser.

http://www.oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-02-06-00210.pdf