Results From Hong Kong Tests for Melamine

Today the Center for Food Safety in Hong Kong released the list of food products they tested for melamine, and the results. This link will take you to the portal where you can then select by month and by type of product. They're all interesting; the "Other Food Products" section reveals that products such as Skippy Peanut Butter, Miracle Whip, Dove Chocolates and other well known products were tested. I'm assuming because they contain ingredients (in this case milk ingredients) from China regardless of where they were manufactured. Why else would they be on the list?

Anyone can pick up the phone (or make contact in some way) and call the 800 number on the back of the box of a food item and ask them if any of their ingredients come from China. Most companies will say "Uh ok. Let me read you the prepared statement." It usually includes something like, "...we receive some ingredients from overseas suppliers when necessary to meet our demand." "From China?" "I can't tell you who our suppliers are or specifically where they are located." "Gee thanks." 

So looking at the list of items that were tested in Hong Kong is sort of like the big reveal. Skippy, Kraft, Cadbury, Campbell Soup and a few other well known companies that sell or manufacture food in the U.S. While they are not very forthcoming with their information about the origin of their raw ingredients, I'll venture a guess that some of it comes from overseas, including China.

But recently I contacted the Associated Press with a question I had about Kraft food products. I've been curious about the report I heard about Oreo wafers having been found to have melamine in them as a result of testing done in Indonesia and wondered where does Kraft get all their "milk protein concentrate" from? Even there are no "milk ingredients" in Oreos as Kraft claims, what about the "whey protein concentrate" in their products? And hey, there is "milk protein concentrate" in their Macaroni & Cheese. I also thought where are all these multinational companies getting these ingredients from for their cheesey popcorn, cereal, soup mixes and so on. But back to Kraft. I asked AP the following, in a forum they call "Ask the AP" and received the following answer:

Q: Since Oreos made in China have been found to be tainted with melamine, should we be worried that another popular Kraft product "macaroni & cheese" might also be contaminated? I know melamine has been found in milk products, and I noticed that Kraft "mac & cheese" contains "milk protein concentrate." Is the company, or the FDA, testing it for melamine?
A: Kraft says U.S. consumers don't have to worry about any of its products,
from Oreo cookies to mac & cheese, because the company does not use any dairy ingredients from China in products sold here.
Kraft is also defending Oreos, saying it doesn't use Chinese dairy
ingredients in any Oreo products. The company questions the Indonesian
government's report that Oreo wafer sticks were tainted with melamine. Testing by other Asian governments found no contamination, Kraft said.
The U.S. produces enough milk to meet domestic demand, and no Chinese companies are approved to ship milk, milk powder or similar ingredients here.
FDA officials don't believe China's latest food safety scandal will have widespread impact for American consumers, and instead are focusing on imported products sold at Asian groceries.
The government has also stepped up testing at ports of entry as a precaution.
Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar
AP FDA/Health Writer
Washington

Thank you Mr. Alonso-Zaldivar for researching my inquiry. I did not know that about U.S. milk production nor did I know no Chinese companies are approved to ship milk, etc., here. I wonder if that is a recent rule or if it has been in place for a long time. 

I am still curious however as to why the list from Hong Kong places Oreo wafers and other Oreo cookies in the list of "SATISFACTORY results of testing melamine". Why doesn't the Satisfactory section say "no melamine found"? 2.5 ppm or less, I guess.  Just sayin'... Is it all that "naturally occurring" melamine...?

My question to the AP did not specifically ask about the vegetable proteins, I know. And I'd love at some point to get the answer on that one, (although I think I already know the answer) and to find out specifically if Kraft IS testing their myriad of products with imported ingredients.

And don't get me started on food labels. Product of USA. Made in USA. Huh?