Anyone noticed protein products removed from shelves?

[chipmcdonald]

I just got back from a Kroger I went to a few days ago.

 

I noticed that the a lot of the "weight-gain protein mix" stuff was gone that was there a few days ago (this stuff DOES NOT sell that fast), and some of the protein drinks in the refrigerated section (the "Naked" brand of drinks; all of the flavors are there (they're over priced IMO), but the protein ones are suddenly gone....)

 

Anyone else notice this....?

 

Would they tell us if melamine has gotten into the rice/wheat gluten used in human food?

 

/ man, the end of the world is getting annoying

[spokenward]

You might get more of the story looking in the Canadian press.

 

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/207740

 

Menu Foods, the pet food mfr., is Canadian and they are pointing the finger at a Las Vegas importer of Chinese wheat gluten named ChemNutra.

 

local news report of an FDA search from Las Vegas April 30, 2007

http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=6436978&nav=15MUCBSd

 

The network news only reports a new FDA food czar.

There. Done.

That's all you need to know.

 

ChemNutra says it will continue to conduct business, but not with products that contain wheat gluten or rice protein concentrate even though that product is not in question. The company will also put in place a new policy which will include personally inspecting its own suppliers in China.

[blue2blue]

 

First is was pet food, then it was hogs, now its chickens.Is any food safe? According to the website for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the agency has expanded its import alert because of the dog and cat food recall and the deaths of more pets. The alert now includes wheat gluten, rice gluten, rice protein, rice protein concentrate, corn gluten, corn gluten mean, corn by-products, soy protein, proteins and mung bean protein. The FDA has admitted that more than three million contaminated chickens made they way to dinner tables throughout the country and that there were 6,000 hogs affected by contaminated feed but that there was a minimal health risk to humans. As of April 25, FDA had collected approximately 750 samples of wheat gluten and products made with wheat gluten and of those tested thus far, 330 were positive for melamine and/or melamine related compounds. FDA had also collected approximately 85 samples of rice protein concentrate and products made with rice protein concentrate and of those tested thus far, 27 were positive for melamine and/or melamine related compounds. FDA said its investigation has traced all of the positive samples as having been imported from China.

Got that?

 

ALMOST HALF -- 44% -- of the wheat gluten is CONTAMINATED. 31% of rice protein concentrate is contaminated.

 

 

Where's the recall?

[chipmcdonald]

Fug, that's what I get for my voluntary "mass media disconnect"...

 

(quick researching)

 

I see that there is also now an FDA embargo on *all* protein products coming in from China.

 

I would say the next step is to know "what products have Chinese protein derivatives in them?"...

 

 

Because I presume at this point one really doesn't know if a product that says "rice/soy/wheat gluten/protein" is contaminated or not. Which makes one wonder about

people suffering from kidney stones recently, and other kidney-related problems. Hmm.

 

 

The question is - it *does* seem like there's quite likely contamination in the food supply. Embargoing things NOW doesn't alter what's already on the shelves.

 

Which makes me then wonder "is it such a huge problem that they're afraid of a panic, collapsing the food retail market, or "?"...?

 

 

/ thanks, WTO!

// it's ok if our food supply is contaminated, we have cheap consumer electronics...

// renal failure is so much more attractive while wearing clothing from WalMart!

[blue2blue]

Maybe I can get a deal on a case of protein bars down at the 99 cent store.

[spokenward]

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/11/asia/gluten.php

 

 

Of particular concern are indications that Xuzhou Anying, whose main office consists of two rooms and an adjoining warehouse here, may have purchased melamine, the chemical linked to the animal deaths. The company has distanced itself from the pet food contamination and recall, saying it neither manufactures nor exports wheat gluten, but only acts as a middleman trading agricultural goods and chemicals.

 

 

 

In one March 29 posting on a trading site operated by Sohu.net, a Chinese Web site, people who said they were with Xuzhou Anying wrote, "Our company buys large quantities of melamine scrap all year around." There were also postings on several other online trading sites, like ChemAbc.net. Though some American scientists have questioned whether melamine is toxic enough to kill pets, the chemical is not approved for use in food for humans or pets in the United States. Despite Xuzhou Anying statements, workers in the area say the company does manufacture gluten. A truck driver who was resting Tuesday across the street from the company's main office said that Xuzhou Anying had manufacturing facilities and that he trucked goods for the company. "Yes, they have a factory that makes wheat gluten," said the man, who did not give his name and then telephoned the manager of Xuzhou Anying before offering any more information.

 

 

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/30/business/30food.php?page=2

 

 

Filler in animal feed is open secret in China By David Barboza and Alexei Barrionuevo Published: April 29, 2007 (Page 2 of 2) Friday here in Zhangqiu, a fast-growing industrial city southeast of Beijing, two animal feed producers explained in great detail how they purchase low-grade wheat, corn, soybean or other proteins and then mix in small portions of nitrogen-rich melamine scrap, whose chemical properties help the feed register an inflated protein level.   Melamine is the new scam of choice, they say, because urea

[philbo]

 

I just got back from a Kroger I went to a few days ago. I noticed that the a lot of the "weight-gain protein mix" stuff was gone that was there a few days ago (this stuff DOES NOT sell that fast), and some of the protein drinks in the refrigerated section (the "Naked" brand of drinks; all of the flavors are there (they're over priced IMO), but the protein ones are suddenly gone....) Anyone else notice this....? Would they tell us if melamine has gotten into the rice/wheat gluten used in human food? / man, the end of the world is getting annoying

 

 

 

Yes, I did.

 

And no, they most certainly would not.

[thefunkman]

Why is the U-S, "the bread-basket of the world," importing any of this crap??

[EnemyofSilence]

 

Why is the U-S, "the bread-basket of the world," importing any of this crap??

 

 

That is THE question, indeed.

[Lee Flier]

Why is the U-S, "the bread-basket of the world," importing any of this crap??

 

We haven't been the "bread-basket of the world" for probably 30 years, unfortunately, and it's only been getting worse.

 

Back in the 70's a bunch of agribiz companies thought it'd be a great idea to convince farmers in Third World countries to grow crops for export. This would, said the companies, allow the people to move beyond subsistence farming and make some real cash. Meanwhile the agribiz companies and food manufacturers would make more profit from cheap labor, cheap land, and the sale of new products to these farmers, who received loans to pay for mechanized equipment and seeds and fertilizers.

 

The program completely backfired. India and Africa, the primary targets of the program, suffered greatly as a result. Huge amounts of land were laid waste and then couldn't be used to feed their own people. In Africa, thousands of dead antelope lay against the newly fenced fields, unable to get to their usual water sources and their pastures having been destroyed. The various people who depended on the antelope to live starved too. In India, the soil didn't produce for very long and farmers were selling their children into indentured servitude to pay their farm debts and avoid starvation.

 

But that doesn't stop the agribiz folks from continuing to think this is a great idea. They don't want to pay American prices for American grown wheat, corn and soybeans, and rice is tough to grow in most of the U.S. So they continue to exploit any Third World farmers that they can convince will benefit from switching to Western farming methods. India has learned its lesson and doesn't fall for it anymore, but other countries do... and the U.S. pretty much turns a blind eye when dealing with China. The Chinese companies take care of everything and sell it to us dirt cheap, and we don't have to know who became ill on the job or whose environment is being devastated or what growing methods are used. It's all hunky dory... until the food turns out to be unsafe for good decent Americans and then everybody acts surprised.

[spokenward]

you can find it by googling 1981

 

Lee's right of course.

 

Wheat statistics

 

Since 1975/76 (the international trade year is July-June), U.S. wheat exports have fluctuated sharply, reaching a high of over 48 million metric tons in 1981/82 and dropping to less than 23 million in 2002/03. In 1981, the U.S. share of global exports peaked at about 45 percent. Over the last 10 years, U.S. wheat exports have exceeded 30 million metric tons only twice, and the U.S. share of global exports has fluctuated between 25 and 30 percent since 1990. Increased planting flexibility in U.S. farm legislation and low returns relative to some competing crops has led to a decline in U.S. wheat area, limiting export potential.

 

 

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/Wheat/trade.htm

 

Hey, how 'bout everybody planting every square inch in corn this year - for energy!!!?

 

How do you suppose that will turn out?

[EnemyofSilence]

Except that doesn't answer the question. As also noted in that report are two key tidbits -

 

"The United States is the world's leading wheat exporter. In most years, the United States, Canada, Australia, the EU-25, and Argentina account for about 80 percent of world wheat exports."

 

"U.S. imports of wheat grain, coming mostly from Canada, are small compared with exports. Imports of wheat products consist mainly of pasta and noodles from the European Union (EU), Canada, and Asia."

[blue2blue]

Yes... but our wheat gluten is not nearly as high in measured protein levels...

 

 

... for some reason.

[spokenward]

 

Except that doesn't answer the question. As also noted in that report are two key tidbits - "The United States is the world's leading wheat exporter. In most years, the United States, Canada, Australia, the EU-25, and Argentina account for about 80 percent of world wheat exports." "U.S. imports of wheat grain, coming mostly from Canada, are small compared with exports. Imports of wheat products consist mainly of pasta and noodles from the European Union (EU), Canada, and Asia."

 

 

You are correct, the numbers only reflect export production. The real import production numbers lag by 2 or 3 years.

 

I think the source of the stats that you clipped above are summarized here: http://www.bis.doc.gov/news/2004/03annualrept/AppH_5.htm

 

I can't find a spot report by HTS (harmonized tariff schedule) that might indicate any changes. The schedule numbers are:

1001 WHEAT AND MESLIN.

1101 WHEAT OR MESLIN FLOUR.

1109 WHEAT GLUTEN, WHETHER OR NOT DRIED

 

Canada is producing about 23 million metric tons for a population of 33 million.Canadian industry stats relative to US - Canada uses a 1/3 of their production and exports 2/3

 

finally - this answered my questions - I think I'm done now.

Why do we put Chinese wheat gluten in Fido's kibble?

By Michelle Tsai Posted Monday, April 2, 2007, at 7:33 PM ET

[chipmcdonald]

Any more news of this?

[alphajerk]

i dont know why they are artificially trying to raise the "protein" level, which is false in itself by adding this crap. my dog had bad kidney problems. peeing blood. had xray done, nothing showing. had ultrasound done, nothing abnormal showing... all sorts of bloodwork tests. nothing. she still pee's blood years later now and many hundreds of dollars in vet bills. i switched her food from a supposedly "good" food [which is now on the list of food not to buy] to purina "crap" food containing the lowest protein levels of any on the market right now [and not (yet) on the affected list]. it helped for a little while but it comes and goes still. i feed her vitC to keep the balance right in her kidneys, but even that is touch and go.

 

i dont know about my kidneys, but i do pickle my liver from time to time.

 

she has a vet appointment today... i have to wonder if that is related.