Gov't to expand melamine inspections to all dairy-based processed food

SEOUL, Sept. 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will expand ongoing melamine chemical inspections to all dairy-based food and ingredients imported from China, the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) said Monday.

The administration said the effort is taking place as 13,582 tons of Chinese
dairy products have been imported this year, including powered milk, condensed
milk, whey and casein.
Seoul began conducting Chinese food sold on the market more carefully on
Wednesday after the melamine scandal rocked China. The initial measure, however,
was limited to products that used powdered milk like cookies, biscuits and
certain chocolate goods.
Consumer concerns have been mounting over the scandal in China where dozens of
food manufacturers sold baby formula and dairy products contaminated with the
harmful chemical.
Melamine is a nitrogen-based industrial chemical that can cause kidney damage in
humans and even death in severe cases. It is added to food to fraudulently
increase apparent protein content levels.
The KFDA said the tighter inspection rules will cover new imports as well as
those food and ingredients that are already being sold on the market.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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