by Marion Nestle
Dec 14 2008

USDA to test meat and poultry for melamine

The USDA says it will be taking samples of meat and poultry products that contain ingredients derived from milk to find out whether they contain melamine and, if so, how much.   It will be sampling five kinds of products: baby foods, cooked sausages, breaded chicken, meatballs, and meat and poultry wrapped in dough (including calzones).  Great.  I’m hoping they will be using the same kinds of methods used by FDA and coordinating closely with that agency.  If ever we needed a reason to have just ONE food safety agency instead of the multiple ones we have now (USDA, FDA, EPA, etc), melamine is as good as any.

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  • Bix

    One food safety agency … Keep saying it, Marion!

  • Sheila

    One food safety agency that is fully funded and staffed with experts to conduct the work, and is free of political lobbying and constraints that inhibit the work. One food safety agency that has the power to make things happen for improving the safety of the people and animals that eat the food.
    One food safety agency with a goal of transparency in sharing its methods and findings. One food safety agency without any quid pro quo arrangements with any farmer, food producer, manufacturer, importer, fast food or grocery chain.

  • Bill Fiegel

    Can you help me

    I have a 25 year old nephew who is recovering from his second brain surgery in 12 years for a second cancerous tumor.

    Both times now his father and mother are having extreme troubles (no appetite) getting him to eat or drink anything……

    His father and I are trying to find the most nutritious protein supplements (containing no melamine ) or any other high quality & high calorie foods or liquids for him to consume as he is trying to recover once again from very serious surgery…..

    Any suggestions or directions of where I can be directed to locate healty foods or liquid products would be greatly appreciated….

    With him having no appetite… the very limited quanity he will swallow makes this high protein all the more important….

    Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated…

    Thank You,
    Bill Fiegel………. billfiegel@msn.com

  • I’m so sorry to hear about your nephew. I know you must be worried and wish I could help. Unless the products are made in China, I doubt they have melamine. I think supplement products are fine, but home-made smoothies made with fruits he likes ought to taste better. Various cancer societies have publications about what’s good to eat after cancer treatment and those should be available online. Let’s all wish him the best. Happy holidays.

  • With all these concerns about melamine, I acn’t help but thinking about how safe is it to be using melamine housewares? The FDA might say if below certain miligrames it is safe, but how am I going to measure that?