Adulteration and globalisation

According to the European Food Safety Authority, the world is facing a number of significant changes which will impact on food safety over the next five years. Not least, the globalisation of world markets will increase the likelihood of new or re-emerging risks, while climate change and the sustainability of food production practices will necessitate a more integrated approach to risk assessment that addresses risks along the entire food chain.

The adulteration of milk with melamine in China is an example of the problems food marketers will have to deal with. While Chinese authorities are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the melamine-contaminated milk, it is thought that melamine was added at milk collection depots to mask the fact that it had been watered down.

Processors were estimating the crude protein content of the milk using standard tests such as the Kjeldahl and Dumas tests which measure nitrogen content. Nitrogen-rich compounds like melamine, which is 66% nitrogen, inflate the results and give the appearance of higher protein content and mask the extent of the adulteration of the milk.

The latest word from China indicates that almost 53,000 children have been sickened by the contamination of milk powder and there have been four reported deaths.

However, according to CNN, more than 12 countries have now banned or recalled milk products originating from China.

The primary target organ for melamine toxicity is the kidney. There is uncertainty with respect to the time scale for the development of kidney damage and the EFSA applied a tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 0.5 mg/kg body weight in considering possible health effects which might occur with repeated consumption of melamine-contaminated products over a relatively short period.

Based on available data, EFSA developed a number of theoretical exposure scenarios for biscuits and chocolate containing milk powder both for adults and children. In the absence of actual data for milk powder, EFSA used the highest value of melamine (approximately 2500 mg/kg) reported in Chinese infant formula as a basis for worst-case scenarios.

Based on these scenarios, estimated exposure does not raise concerns for the health of adults should they consume chocolates and biscuits containing contaminated milk powder. Children with a mean consumption of biscuits, milk toffee and chocolate made with such milk powder would also not exceed the TDI. However, in worst-case scenarios with the highest level of contamination, children with high daily consumption of milk toffee, chocolate or biscuits containing high levels of milk powder would exceed the TDI. Children who consume both such biscuits and chocolate could potentially exceed the TDI by more than threefold.

White Rabbit Creamy Candies were found by the food safety authority for Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) to have “sufficiently high levels of melamines which may, in some individuals, cause health problems such as kidney stones if consumed in high quantities over a long period”.

Around the world, potentially contaminated and contaminated products are being removed from shelves and countries are banning the importation of milk and milk-containing products that have been manufactured in China. However, is Chinese milk powder the only product being adulterated? This is highly unlikely.

As the food industry becomes increasingly globalised the potential for crises similar to the Chinese milk adulteration, in both raw and processed foods, increases. Ethical companies are going to have to be even more vigilant to ensure the identity and quality raw and processed foods they import. The melamine in milk scandal provides a salient warning that companies cannot simply rely on unsophisticated laboratory results to confirm the quality of an ingredient. They will need to develop testing and scrutiny procedures to overcome the potential for deliberate adulteration in the global marketplace.