To the Readers' Forum:
On October 3, 2008, history was made in Washington D.C. on two fronts: while the U.S. House of Representatives was voting approval of the $700 billion bailout of the U.S. mortgage industry, the Bush Administration's policy elves were busy knocking together a little something historic of their own down at the Food and Drug Administration, FDA. The American public is now all too familiar with the October 3rd U.S. House accomplishments; but, what does it know of that day's surreptitious FDA policy endeavors?
As detailed in the October issue of The Milkweed, a dairy industry monthly, here's what passes as good policy these days with the Bush Administration's FDA: setting a maximum allowable level of melamine in food products sold in the U.S. So, what is melamine? ''Mel-a-meen'' is an industrial chemical manufactured from heating coal and treating it with formaldehyde. It is a white crystalline compound used, legitimately, in plastics and leather tanning. Illegitimately, when added to dry milk or grain by-products it will give a bogus elevation to protein tests, thus, the financial motivation. The use of melamine in food production is a dangerous fraud: it is a poison and has no place in human or animal nutrition.
Adulteration of dry milk and grain by-products with melamine seems to be a common Chinese business practice. In August 2008 a massive scandal erupted in China when it came to light that melamine contamination of milk powder used in infant formula had killed four infants and hospitalized an estimated 90,000 children. This came on the heels of the deaths of numerous dogs and cats in North America from Canadian pet foot manufactured with melamine contaminated Chinese wheat gluten in 2007. The only documented source of melamine contamination worldwide, so far, is in Chinese bulk food ingredients.
On face, the October 3rd, action of FDA seems inexplicable: the very presence of melamine is clear and irrefutable evidence of adulteration. What is the mission of FDA, if not to prevent adulteration of our food supply? And yet there it is: October 3rd the FDA set an ''allowable level'' of melamine at 2.5 parts per million, 2.5/ppm. Keep in mind there is no allowable level for antibiotic in the U.S. milk supply: the testing threshold for antibiotic in milk is about 2.5 parts per billion, 2.5/ppb: milk testing positive for antibiotic must be discarded...but the newly created allowable level for melamine is one thousand times greater? Since melamine is man-made, deliberately added, and poison, why would the FDA think it necessary to allow any level of melamine in U.S. food products?
Why indeed? One scenario suggests itself: the Bush Administration's apprehension that blocking the importation of low quality, melamine contaminated Chinese bulk food ingredients would embarrass and offend the Chinese government at a time when its cooperation is vital to solving our national ''sub-prime'' mortgage train-wreck. Let's examine that possibility: what did the U.S. House really accomplish on October 3rd? What it did was to pass a bill authorizing the U.S. government to borrow $700 billion to bailout Wall Street. On its own the U.S. government is broke. To get this bailout financed the U.S. must find someone to bankroll this $700 billion. What nation has that kind of cash? China.
To facilitate the Wall Street bailout our national leadership appears to have sunk to an unprecedented new low. Must we conclude the health and welfare of the American people is now a negotiable bargaining chip in this Administration's international dealings? What goes on the sale block next, Mr. President?
Check this out at http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01895.html.
Nate Wilson, dairy farmer
Sinclairville