CFIA Unable to Test All Imports from China for Melamine

(Canada.com – Sarah Schmidt, Canwest News Service)

Milk-derived ingredients swept up in the tainted milk scandal in China have been imported to Canada this year, but there’s no way to know whether they were contaminated with melamine before being consumed in processed foods.

In addition to small amounts of cocoa powder, casein derivatives and whey protein, 36,052 kilograms of casein worth about $320,000 was shipped to Canada in the first seven months of this year, according to Statistics Canada based on data provided by the Canada Border Services Agency.

The Chinese government last month acknowledged infant formula sold in China was contaminated with melamine, which left four babies dead and thousands ill. The scandal has since widened to include milk-derived ingredients.

As a result, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency last month decided to track down 2008 imports of milk-derived ingredients to test for melamine contamination. But the agency only found a few records of interest – two small shipments of casein, totalling 125 kilograms. And by the time the agency found the importers, it was too late to test for adulteration. Click here for the complete article.