Poison Alert: Nestle's Milk Products
"Good Start"? Nestle's Premium Baby Formula Has Caused the Deaths of Four Infants so Far
A warning has gone up on yet another China-made food. This time it's Nestle's milk products, such as Good Start® baby formula and Carnation® powdered milk. According to health officials in Hong Kong, the production line in Nestle's Qingdao facility is cranking out milk-based foods contaminated with Melamine, a deadly toxin.
Melamine can cause rapid kidney stone formation, and, potentially, lead to renal failure. Children are especially vulnerable. According to reports made public by the Chinese government, 6 have died already, including 4 infants who were fed Nestle's Good Start® baby formula, and as many as 53,000 children are sick in China alone. 80% of those hospitalized are age 2 or younger.
Nestle has assured consumers that the contamination is confined to China, even though products produced in that facility are distributed world-wide, and, according to National Public Radio, cases of Nestle-linked Melamine poisoning have been reported already in California.
The products in question were formerly produced in Nestle's Fulton, NY, facility, famous as the birthplace of milk chocolate, but the plant was closed in 2004, despite continued profitability. In 2006, the FDA cited Nestle over Good Start®: the nutrients and vitamins listed on the label were not present in the actual formula.
As of this moment, American health officials have not issued an advisory, nor has Nestle initiated a recall on the contaminated products.
Published by Bryan Belrad
The mind behind Zero Sum Theory, author of best-selling fiction and non-fiction, see what else he's up to on Facebook. View profile
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16 Comments
Post a Commenthttp://www.miamiherald.com/business/nation/story/712859.html
That's an interesting response from Nestle. Can't say that it comes as a surprise either - "deny everything" is the golden rule of corporate liability. Why let piddly things like "facts" and "reality", or even that silly notion of scientific testing get in the way of a time-honored defense?
DUMAS - It appears that "Sanlu" is the brand name the product carries in China; in the US, it goes by "Good Start". My additional sources, besides NPR, are listed further down in the comments section. Thanks for posting that link. It's sad, but really doesn't come as a surprise, that China's official figures on the deaths that resulted from this mass poisioning were minimized.
Reply from Nestle,
http://www.nestle.com/MediaCenter/PressReleases/AllPressReleases/No+melamine+adulteration.htm?Tab=2008
Bryan,
Where did your source information come from? I've been doing a lot of research on this topic and the company in China producing the tainted formula is a company called Sanlu Infant Formula Milk Powder.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/world/AP/story/772918.html
Sarie - It's been a couple months, and nothing else has been in the news, so this has all probably been cleared up by now. Still, it doesn't exactly inspire confidence in the quality of the product, does it? I wouldn't worry too much about your baby - any time there is a diet change, there is a risk of upset stomach. If it seems really bad, you should have a chat with your pediatrician.
Im on WIC in Pennsylvania and they recently forced us to switch from Similac to Nestle Good Start. I didn't want to switch but they said I have no choice and since the switch my baby's tummy has been upset. I hope her formula isn't tainted! I don't have money to buy Similac myself!
Things are only going to get worse when John McCain becomes President and he dissolves the US and forms the North American Union.
I didn't know any of the melamine tainted products were distributed in the USA but it certainly is a problem in Asia and Europe.
I first came across this report on NPR (National Public Radio), as mentioned in the article. Further information was gathered from the Chinese governement, Forbes magazine, Fox News, ABC News, NBC News, Yahoo News, and the New York Times.