TAINTED PRODUCT
APIRADEE TREERUTKUARKUL
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is checking with the Livestock Development Department to see if powdered milk has been smuggled from China across a border checkpoint in the North. Pipat Yingseree, the FDA secretary-general, said he would ask for cooperation from the department to track down 9,000 tonnes of powdered milk reportedly imported from China as animal feed through Chiang Rai's Chiang Saen district.
He said he would also instruct FDA staff at the Chiang Saen border checkpoint to tighten inspections of imported food and closely work with livestock officials to ensure that milk imported from China as animal feed would not be smuggled in and used to produce anything for human consumption.
Since the Chinese milk scandal broke late last month, the FDA has tested a total of 103 dairy products and food products containing milk ingredients. All of the products, randomly picked from local markets, tested negative for melamine contamination.
However, the agency has not yet released its results of a re-examination of two samples taken from milk powder imported by Dutch Mill Co. Previous tests showed the two samples contained 0.33 and 0.55mg/kg of melamine.
If the second round test finds melamine contamination, the shipment of 22 tonnes will be destroyed or returned to the manufacturer in China.
The Livestock Development Department has reported that since last August, it has rejected 608 tonnes of melamine-tainted livestock products used to produce animal feed.
There were also applications to import whey from China this year, but not a single shipment was brought in, according to Livestock Development Department official Sakchai Sriboonsue.
He added that the animal feed control board has finished drafting a new regulation banning the import, production, or sale of animal feed, and feed ingredients, that contain melamine.
The draft regulation is pending approval from the Agriculture and Cooperatives minister.
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