State investigating alleged false cheese labeling

BY GRACE DOVE , The New Age-Examiner 01/08/2003

The state attorney general's Bureau of Consumer Protection is checking into reports of false labeling of cheese products.

Deputy Attorney General J.P. McGowan said Thursday that he is "reviewing the allegations and documentation" that Kraft Foods is breaking federal food regulations by using milk protein concentrate (MPC) in many of its cheese products.

MPC is not approved as a food ingredient by the federal Food and Drug Administration. It's a dairy waste left after the more valuable ingredients in milk are removed, and is not an American product. It's used as a milk substitute in making cheese, frozen dessert, baked goods, powdered baby formula and nutritional foods.

"This is different from a typical consumer protection issue," said McGowan, who heads the Office of Bureau of Consumer Protection in Scranton.

Acting in response to a request from Congressman Don Sherwood, the Food and Drug Administration investigated Kraft Foods last fall and sent the corporation a warning letter about the use of MPC and mislabeling in mid-December.

Milk protein concentrate is not listed as a food additive in the FDA's regulations. To be listed, MPC must meet scientific standards called GRAS (generally regarded as safe) - and MPC doesn't have this designation.

MPC has many sources

According to U.S. Department of Agriculture information, the United States imports milk protein concentrate from 93 countries. Some are Third World countries without the same strict sanitary standards as ours. And a few don't produce their own milk at all, acting instead as multitransnational shippers who import milk products from other countries and export them to the United States. Some comes in labeled as "industrial adhesive."

According to information from the federal General Accounting Office, federal agencies can't ensure that imported foods are safe. The Food Safety and Inspection Service allows food imports only from those countries whose food safety systems are equivalent to ours, but only targets shipping firms with a history of violations, such as contamination, defects in processing and problems with shipping labels - many of which have little or no relation to food safety.

Inspections are lax

But the FDA allows food to be imported from almost any country in the world. It relies on inspections at ports of entry and also relies on the description of contents provided by the importers, which are often incorrect. The FDA inspects less than two percent of all foreign shipments. These inspections will not pick up disease-causing organisms such as cyclospora. The GAO describes this type of inspection as "ineffective."

"In some cases, when the FDA decides to inspect shipments, the importers have already marketed the goods," the report says. "(When the FDA) finds contamination and calls for importers to return shipments to the Customs Service for destruction ... importers ignore this requirement or substitute other goods for the original shipment."
"FDA officials told us they have little concern about the safety of dry milk protein concentrates because the products are treated with heat during pasteurization and drying, which kills pathogens," the GAO report says.
Federal inspectors at ports of entry concentrate on infant formula and seafood because of their roles in outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. Milk protein concentrate isn't on their list, according to The Milkweed, an independently-owned and -published monthly milk marketing report for dairy farmers produced by Pete Hardin of Brooklyn, Wis.

Hardin obtained this information from the U.S. International Trade Commission: Countries that export MPCs to the United States have had problems with certain diseases and contaminants in recent years.

Foot and mouth disease: has been found in Argentina, Belgium, France, India, the Netherlands, Taiwan and United Kingdom. This highly contagious disease affects animals with cloven (split) hooves, for example pigs, cows, sheep, deer or buffalo.

Mad cow disease: has occurred in Austria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and United Kingdom. The agent that spreads this fatal, progressive, brain-wasting disease can survive temperatures of 1,200 degrees F. Although found mainly in cattle, there is a possible risk that goats and sheep can also get it, according to a study by the World Health Organization. In humans it's called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Drugs: Argentina, China, Dominican Republic, France, Mexico, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago. Illegal drugs such as cocaine often get into the United States concealed inside packaging for dairy products. (Both are white powders.)

Radioactivity (mainly from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster in the former Soviet Union): has been documented in agricultural products from Belarus, China, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Ukraine. Radioactive contaminants are still found in foods and dairy products within a 1,000-mile radius of the plant. It has become a common practice to ship dairy products from this area to other European countries to be exported under different labels to conceal the products' origin.

Other contaminants

A baby in Tennessee died in April 2001, and a second in Minnesota died in February 2002, from infections by the Enterbacter sakazakii bacteria after being fed powdered baby formula containing MPC. The FDA's investigation revealed that the bacteria, frequently found in Third World countries, was found in 14 percent of samples of this formula.

New Zealand, a major MPC exporter, had more than 100 million pounds of dairy products designated as "unfit for human consumption" in the fall of 2001 - but shipped to other countries for human use. The country has recently encountered serious problems with the Listeria bacteria in its nonfat dry milk.
Japan encountered a serious problem of contamination by a nasty strain of staphylococcus in milk products in 2000. This contaminated milk was processed into dry milk powder. Subsequently, a huge amount of dry milk powder came into the U.S. from Japan.

India, the world's second-leading source of imported Cheddar cheese and milk products entering the U.S., also has cases of bubonic plague, which killed 30 percent of the population of Europe in the 14th century.

Although transmitted mainly by the rat flea, a form of bubonic plague called septicemic plague infects the bloodstream and is spread through contact with contaminated hands and foods. Owners of water buffalo who milk their animals often store milk overnight without refrigeration and combine it with the morning's milking before taking it to market. Workers often spit on their hands to keep them and the animals' teats moist while milking.

Where to find MPC

According to Hardin's research, MPC is found in Kraft Singles (mozzarella, sharp cheddar, American, Swiss), certain Velveeta products, certain types of macaroni and cheese dinners, Cheez Whiz, several types of Handi Snacks, several flavors of Stove Top stuffing containing cheese, Oscar Mayer cheese hot dogs and several flavors of Lunchables.

But Kraft isn't the only culprit, Hardin says. Hershey Foods (Milk Duds), several flavors of Frito Lay's Ruffles potato chips, several types of energy drinks made by MeadJohnson Nutritionals and certain diet or energy products made by Slim-Fast Foods Co., Atkins Nutritionals, Inc., Premier Nutrition and Optimum Nutrition also contain MPC.

What you can do

Progressive Agriculture Organization (Pro-Ag), a grassroots dairy farmers' advocacy group headquartered in Meshoppen, and similar groups across the country are urging people to boycott Kraft cheese products and any products containing MPC, ask their congressmen and senators to get rid of MPC and ask the FDA to enforce its rules about MPC in food.

The FDA can be reached at 1-888-463-6332 or 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857.
The Milkweed has more information on MPC and can be reached at www.themilkweed.com

http://www.newage-examiner.com/site...id=480505&rfi=6

Interesting, but I'm a little supicious of the source and the advocacy group. The bubonic plague reference was uneeded and irrelevent. The advocacy group sounds like a special interest group that does not want any foreign compeitition.