Food Recalls Melamine Found in Famous Brands Sold Outside U.S.

The contaminated milk crisis continues to spread outward from China into Europe and other nations. Although food company’s generally don’t reveal where various ingredients in there products originate, the current crisis is revealing China’s growing role in the world’s food supply.

The most recent food recalls and actions:

*Two U.S. food makers were reportedly  investigating Indonesian claims that high melamine levels were found in Chinese-made Oreos, M&Ms and Snickers, reports Inquirer.net. (Hey, I just had a handful of Oreos at my bank the other day.) Here’s the Wall Street Journal’s take on the story.

*Cadbury chocolates have been removed from the shelves in Hong Kong and the Philippines over concerns the products are contaminated with melamine, reports Inquirer.net. Hong Kong authorities are saying the level of melamine found was “legally acceptable,” reports The Associated Press, but Cadbury is still recalling the products.

*Melamine was found in 31 batches of milk powder, reports Shanghai Daily.

*Koala Brand chestnut and chocolate flavored cookies have been recalled in the Netherlands, reports the Voice of America.

*South Korea is recalling Nabisco Ritz cheese and rice crackers made by a Chinese company.

*Unilever is recalling Lipton Milk Tea sold in Hong Kong and Macau, reports CNN.

*Tokyo-based Marudai Food is recalling five products, reports another CNN story.

*Hong Kong reports that a Heinz cereal and wasabi crackers were recalled after excessive melamine were found.

The biggest irony? The U.S. government’s new rules on requiring country-of-origin labeling kicked in on Tuesday. Under the rules, country-of-origin stickers must be placed on meats, produce and some nuts, reports The New York Times. Seafood origin stickers have been around for a while.

Sadly, the rules exclude processed and other foods with mixed ingredients. Of course, it may be impossible to achieve some processed foods have dozens of ingredients listed.