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Melamine scare has consumers wary. FDA says imports tested and no illnesses are reported
By Lisa Abraham
Beacon Journal food writer
Published on Wednesday, Oct 22, 2008
Read the fine print on a bag of Halloween candy and it could scare you more than the goblins who soon will be at your door begging for it.
Packages printed with the words ''product of China'' aren't hard to find in local grocery stores and discount retailers.
With tens of thousands of Chinese infants recently sickened from milk powder tainted with melamine, many consumers are wary about Chinese-made products, and candy is tops on that list as we approach one of the biggest candy-consuming American holidays.
So far, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recalled no candy made by American companies due to melamine contamination, although some candy by Chinese makers was recalled in Canada.
FDA spokeswoman Stephanie Kwisnek said the FDA has taken aggressive action since the melamine scare began in September to ensure the safety of all food, including candy, including additional inspections and testing of imports. She noted that few prod
ucts containing melamine have been detected and no illnesses have been reported.
Consumer worries have led many American candy companies to post statements on their Web sites, detailing precautions they have taken. Hershey's, Mars, Kraft and others have issued statements on melamine.
But what those statements don't say is that U.S. companies are still making candy in China and other countries.
On the site of the R.M. Palmer Co., a novelty candymaker in Reading, Pa., a disclaimer states, ''Our plants, located in Reading, Pennsylvania, use domestic milk and milk products sourced in the USA for all of our dairy-based products. We do not use dairy products sourced from China.''
However, the statement doesn't note that some of the firm's other candies are made in China, including Marshmallow Super Sports, currently on local store shelves. A company spokesman declined to speak about the issue.
Michael MacAdams, marketing director for Frankford Candy Co. in Philadelphia, Pa., a maker of candy novelties for licensed brands, said his company makes some products in China and other countries, including a best seller this Halloween, SpongeBob Squarepants Gummy Krabby Patties for Nickelodeon.
Gummies from China
The chewy layered confection resembles a hamburger. MacAdams said the company uses Chinese manufacturers for molded or gummy candies because of cost advantages, particularly in tooling molds and in labor. Frankford balances those savings against shipping costs and other factors to determine where an item will be made.
MacAdams stressed that Frankford imports no chocolate and tests products at various points in the production chain. ''We're very diligent about making sure the products we bring in meet all the necessary FDA requirements and are safe for everybody's kids,'' he said.
While the FDA has not recalled any candy from an American maker, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has recalled Sherwood Brands Pirate's Gold Milk Chocolate Coins, which were made in China and sold at Costco stores in Canada, after they tested positive for melamine.
Sherwood, located in Rockville, Md., has numerous China-made candies on local store shelves, including Lolli Pups, bone-shaped lollipops, and Spooky Eyes Bubble Gum, the package of which states, ''May contain milk.''
Sherwood company officials did not return a phone call seeking comment.
Kwisnek said the FDA is keeping an eye on the Sherwood situation, but did not issue a recall because the product was distributed only in Canada.
''We continue to look at products that are a concern in other countries to make sure they are not being imported here,'' he said.
Not recalling the Sherwood candy, however, has angered the food safety advocacy group Food & Water Watch.
''We don't think the FDA has acted quickly enough,'' said Tony Corbo, a lobbyist with the group.
He pointed to the recall of Chinese-made Koala's March cookies, which came nearly a month after other countries recalled them. ''We're talking about kids here. We're talking about foods that kids eat,'' he said.
Kwisnek said the FDA is working with state, local and foreign agencies as well as the candy industry ''to make sure that harmful products do not reach consumers.''
A policy statement from the National Confectioners Association states that less than 1 percent of all confections sold in the U.S. are imported from China.
However, consumers, if they are paying attention, might be surprised to see the wide variety of countries where candy is being made.
Candy corn from Mexico
Turn over a bag of Brach's Candy Corn, a Halloween icon, and you'll discover it's made in Mexico.
Michelle Graber, public relations manager for Farley's and Sathers Candy Co., which purchased the Brach's brand in 2007, said the Round Lake, Minn.-based company manufactures in other countries, but not China.
''We don't buy anything that is a product of China, primarily because of all the food issues surrounding imports from China,'' she said.
Hannah Montana Picture Ring Pops by Flix Candy of Niles, Ill., being sold in local stores, were made in China. They're part of a wide range of candies the company makes for licensed brands.
Gail Huttenlocher, a sales and marketing associate with Flix, said none of the company's products contain dairy, taking them out of the current melamine scare.
She said all of the company's candy products are tested both in China and the U.S. to make sure they comply with FDA regulations. However, the company currently is looking for other manufacturing sites because of consumer concerns about Chinese-made goods.
Frankford's MacAdams said the company has no plans to pull out of China and most companies who produce there will be safe if they remain diligent with their testing. He said it's too soon to tell whether companies will eventually have to abandon Chinese production.
''I can't speak to consumer perceptions and whether that will force us to change directions, but not for now,'' MacAdams said.
Lisa A. Abraham can be reached at 330-996-3737 or labraham@thebeaconjournal.com.
Read the fine print on a bag of Halloween candy and it could scare you more than the goblins who soon will be at your door begging for it.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Tallmadge, OH
Posted 06:47 AM, 10/22/2008
Why has the FDA failed to respond quickly to the current China food poison? This is just typical of the last 8 years of Bush and how could any of us want 4 more of the same from McCain? It's time to shakeup DC with Obama & Biden to get our FDA back on focusing on protecting the middle class health.
akron, OH
Posted 08:01 AM, 10/22/2008
poison!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted 09:59 AM, 10/22/2008
To the best of my ability, I have stopped buying anything but goods produced in the USA or Canada. It's a little more expensive sometimes, but I feel a deep loyalty to protect jobs closer to home!
tallmadge, oh
Posted 10:17 AM, 10/22/2008
TTJ, stopped buying OJ and apple juice? Most of these are all from China now. Even the Vitamin C tablets. We cannot escape the outsourcing of our food supply when our tax laws allow 'cheap' food to be dumped here.
Posted 10:43 AM, 10/22/2008
Right - actually, I buy USA grown apples and Fla. or California grown oranges (doctor says the fruit is better than the juice, anyway :-)! It does take a lot of label reading and intentionality - not easy and not *always* possible, but worth the effort, IMHO.
Posted 10:52 AM, 10/22/2008
It is tough to steer clear of things made in China, if we would all try to stay away from a few things, I wonder the difference it would make? Shame on the FDA for not recalling things more quickly, do our children have to get ill like the ones in China who have suffered enough from simply consuming baby formula? So sad, I hope whomever our next "leader" is can get our country producing things for ourselves! It is worth the expense when safety is now such a serious issue!
Posted 11:03 AM, 10/22/2008
Yes, I did stop buying those items. I buy US grown apples and oranges now - besides, my doctor says that the fruit is better than the juice! :-) It takes time to read labels and a lot of intentionality to buy products from USA/Canada, but it's worth it, IMHO. Supporting "local" jobs is important. Near my hometown, John Deere is closing a plant in order to build a new one in Mexico. This will affect *800 workers*, let alone devastate the surrounding economy due to the ripple effect. Sure, investors and executives will get richer... but the front line workers sure won't benefit. I know that my "buy locally" campaign makes little difference in the big picture, but the more people that refuse to buy offshore goods and buy Canadian/USA goods, the stronger a message we can collectively send to corporations.
AKRON, OH
Posted 12:17 PM, 10/22/2008
YEAH - LET'S FEED THIS TO OUR CHILDERN
Posted 12:44 PM, 10/22/2008
OldManGrump,
I don't think you even realize how your serious post could double as an absurd parody of an Obama supporter. "...protecting middle class health?"
Kent, OH
Posted 01:01 PM, 10/22/2008
Jason, OMG is insane. All his thoughts come from the ABJ. He blames Bush because he isn't intelligent enough to try and figure out things for himself.
We can only hope he takes his medication before posting anything else.
Posted 03:27 PM, 10/22/2008
IS CHINA TRYING TO KILL ALOT OF PEOPLE OR IS ALL THIS JUST A COINCIDENCE? I BET THEIR FOOD IS CHEAP THOUGH.
Posted 10:15 PM, 10/26/2008
Hello;
I'm a grocery whse. worker from Spokane USA. And I'm really amased at seeing so many food products from Asia. I live in the Apple state and yet much of the juice comes from China, now. Even some of the apple juice for babies comes from China. Double check that one by calling Gerber. An interesting example I saw about a month ago was a "Florida's Own" candy display that was imported from another continent...
For us it started off with dollar store type toys, kitchen tools, and school supplies being imported from Asia. Now, one has to look closely at all products. ( Also, a segment of our in house labor consists of third party Latino labor.) All this is part of the whole global economy thing and like you one has to wonder how long we can live via an economic export deficit. I voted for Barrack and plan to buy closer to home whenever possible.
Lastly, I live near our local orchards. Here too the vendors sell imported trinkets and some produce grown from elsewhere. So the orchard tourists & school kids are getting a sampleing of the global economy at our local apple orchards. Sounds a bit unbelievable but oh well.
Bill
Mead Wa. USA, Earth
