Wouldn’t it be great if FDA just did its job? Unfortunately for us, the growing scandal over tainted milk in China seems to have reached the United States – and it’s the latest example of how FDA isn’t up to the job of keeping toxic food off store shelves.   On Wednesday, the FDA put out a press release announcing the recall of Mr. Brown brand instant coffee because it had been contaminated with, you guessed it, melamine. That same day, recalled White Rabbit candy was found in an ethnic Chinese supermarket in Connecticut.   On Monday, FDA issued a recall for Blue Cat Flavor Drinks due to melamine contamination. 

You would think the arrival of this controversy in the U.S. market would be enough to keep FDA busy.  But in the midst of all these recalls, the agency found time to declare that eating a little bit of melamine was “safe” for consumers.  Other countries have banned the import of products containing Chinese milk ingredients.  But instead our FDA felt the need to cook up a magically safe level of melamine that is allowed in our food.

While country-of-origin labeling for meat and produce went into effect last week, the products most likely to contain Chinese milk ingredients are not covered by the law, so they don’t have to be labeled with where they are from.  So for now, consumers are left to wonder if that processed food they are eating contains any harmful contaminants.  One thing consumers can do is contact food manufacturers and ask them if they source any of their ingredients from China.