Industrial Chemical Melamine Found in U.S. Infant Formula

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has changed gears a bit since reports emerged from China that infant formula in that country had been spiked with melamine, sickening over 50,000 children and killing at least 3. Melamine is an industrial chemical that is present in some plastic food packaging as well as in solutions used to clean food processing equipment. So, in that sense, it is expected that there will be trace amounts of melamine present in many of the foods that we eat - and that has proven to be the case in independent studies.

However, this is the first time that the presence of the industrial chemical has been detected in infant formula in the U.S. In fact, the FDA began secretly testing the infant formula of U.S. manufacturers after the stories from China began to emerge. The FDA found that one of the leading U.S. manufacturers of infant formula - Mead Johnson - actually had trace amounts of melamine int its most popular formula brand, which is Enfamil LIPIL with Iron. The amounts of melamine detected were in the range of .13 to .15 parts per million, which is considered extremely low. By comparison, the tainted infant formula in China tested at 2500 parts per million. Nestle's Good Start Supreme Infant Formula with Iron tested positive for trace amounts of cyanuric acid, which is a byproduct of melamine. And in-house tests conducted by Abbott Laboratories on its formula's, including popular brand Similac, found melamine traces present. However, the FDA's testing did not find any melamine in the Abbott samples.

One of the most disturbing aspects of the findings is the FDAs apparent change of heart with regards to the presence of melamine in U.S. food products. On October 3rd, in response to the melamine situation in China, the FDA stated: "FDA is currently unable to establish any level of melamine and melamine-related compounds in infant formula that does not raise public health concerns." But now that the AP has revealed the details of the FDA's findings, the FDA is saying that the amounts of melamine found in their testing are "so far are in the trace range, and from a public health or infant health perspective, we consider those to be perfectly fine."

As consumers and parents, it's difficult to understand the mixed messages from the FDA, especially considering the context and timing of their statements.