Melamine in China: This isn't news to the Chinese. It should be.

Posted Nov 3rd 2008 1:26PM by Sarah Gilbert
Filed under: China, Agriculture

In China, the cows are badly malnourished, and the routine spiking of dairy products with melamine and other illegal substances has been an "open secret" for years, says the Wall Street Journal today in a detailed look at the dairy system there. At the root of the problem is a dairy industry rife with farmers who have no idea how to feed or care for their cows, and even if they do, would always choose the cheapest possible option; whether feeding them with straw instead of corn, or (it seems obvious) allowing them enough room to graze naturally.

That melamine should be added to milk is only the most deadly in a string of unethical practices, starting with ill-treatment of animals and continuing through routine addition of "protein powder," a nutrient-booster made of animal parts, soy, and other ingredients. This powder was added, not to contribute to the health of the customer, but instead to fool inspectors.

It wasn't foolish enough; inspectors learned to identify the additions, as well as the "fresh-keeping liquid" of preservatives and antiobiotics. Were the farmers upset about their lack of ethics? No, they were just concerned the milk would be returned to them and be "wasted." Enter melamine.

Melamine, a scrap byproduct of many Chinese factories, mimics protein in lab tests. And it is extremely cheap.

Business in melamine was booming; piles of the stuff would be found on streets outside factories, waiting to be turned into powder and sold to farmers, who say they had no idea it was poisonous at the time. It was also added in quantity to animal feed, especially for chickens; now eggs and chicken meat has been shown to be tainted with the substance.

While the poisoning of Chinese (and many worldwide) consumers is the most astonishing and terrible offense to come from the melamine problem, it points to a much larger issue of blindness to basic social ethics and ignorance of agricultural practices. I wonder how the world's biggest economy can be based on a complete lack of the most essential survival skill of humanity: how to cultivate food that doesn't poison your families, friends and neighbors? It's a horror, and I predict a terrible economic price will be paid if the Chinese government is unable to address the problem at its root, not shut down animal feed factories and slaughter chickens to treat the symptom with the worst PR.

Tags: china, cows, dairy, farming, melamine, protein powder, ProteinPowder

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

11-03-2008 @ 2:04PM

PandaBear said...

The problem is the economic boom without increase in standard of living in farming. So in the end there are way too many farmers not willing fall behind and too much pricing pressure from buyers of the products (manufactures of these food). Everyone is doing it and if you do it the honest way, you would be out of business in no time.

The only way to get around these problems are 1) mandatory minimum prices and quality policy to fix the long term cultural issue of corruption in food businesses. 2) Vertical integration of the industry from raw feeds, farming, manufacturing, and distributions. If you put a billion dollar business on the hook then they will make sure their stuff is not tainted, not just blaming it on their supplier.