ID :
26021
Wed, 10/22/2008 - 15:39
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/26021
The shortlink copeid
Melamine chemical found in Chinese egg powder
By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government said Wednesday that it
found minute traces of the industrial chemical melamine in five products
containing Chinese egg powder used to make sauces and seasonings.
The products came from two manufacturers and were part of nine samples collected
over the past few days following revelations that Japan had found traces of the
chemical, which is known to cause severe kidney problems, in similar products,
the agriculture ministry said.
Melamine, a nitrogen-based industrial chemical that artificially increases
protein content in dairy products, caused an uproar in China last month after
traces of the toxin were discovered in baby milk formula, leading to the deaths
of several infants and the illness of thousands more.
The chemical is linked to kidney failure in humans if taken in large quantities,
and can be fatal for babies and pets.
"Melamine levels stood at 0.1-4.0 parts per million during tests, with the
government taking immediate steps to collect and test all processed egg products
imported from China this year," said Kang Dae-jin, an official from the
ministry's livestock product sanitation team.
South Korean companies imported a total of 621.7 tons of Chinese egg products
from 11 manufacturers this year, which were used mainly in mayonnaise, salad
dressing and various seasonings.
Kang said the two cases found were from a shipment totaling 47.1 tons, and that
of the total, 23.2 tons were held in storage by the local importer, while the
rest had been sold to 11 food processing companies, which have already used 4.7
tons in their products.
"Those products still with the importer have been destroyed, while efforts are
underway to remove food products that used these ingredient from store shelves,"
the official said.
The farm ministry, meanwhile, said it has asked the Chinese manufacturers of the
products, Dalian Hanovo Foods Co. and Dalian Greensnow Egg Products Development
Co., to halt exports and called on Chinese health authorities to determine how
melamine first entered into locally produced powdered milk.
SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government said Wednesday that it
found minute traces of the industrial chemical melamine in five products
containing Chinese egg powder used to make sauces and seasonings.
The products came from two manufacturers and were part of nine samples collected
over the past few days following revelations that Japan had found traces of the
chemical, which is known to cause severe kidney problems, in similar products,
the agriculture ministry said.
Melamine, a nitrogen-based industrial chemical that artificially increases
protein content in dairy products, caused an uproar in China last month after
traces of the toxin were discovered in baby milk formula, leading to the deaths
of several infants and the illness of thousands more.
The chemical is linked to kidney failure in humans if taken in large quantities,
and can be fatal for babies and pets.
"Melamine levels stood at 0.1-4.0 parts per million during tests, with the
government taking immediate steps to collect and test all processed egg products
imported from China this year," said Kang Dae-jin, an official from the
ministry's livestock product sanitation team.
South Korean companies imported a total of 621.7 tons of Chinese egg products
from 11 manufacturers this year, which were used mainly in mayonnaise, salad
dressing and various seasonings.
Kang said the two cases found were from a shipment totaling 47.1 tons, and that
of the total, 23.2 tons were held in storage by the local importer, while the
rest had been sold to 11 food processing companies, which have already used 4.7
tons in their products.
"Those products still with the importer have been destroyed, while efforts are
underway to remove food products that used these ingredient from store shelves,"
the official said.
The farm ministry, meanwhile, said it has asked the Chinese manufacturers of the
products, Dalian Hanovo Foods Co. and Dalian Greensnow Egg Products Development
Co., to halt exports and called on Chinese health authorities to determine how
melamine first entered into locally produced powdered milk.
