Hongkong finds melamine tainted fish feed
Hong Kong food inspectors have found fish feed imported from China contaminated with high levels of melamine. This synthetic low protein cover-up product has previously been found in Chinese-produced milk, eggs and other food products.
The Hong Kong government finding is the latest indication that melamine has
seeped into large parts of China’s food and feed industry, posing potential
health hazards to consumers.
After the baby milk scandal, which lead to
the death of four children and thousands hospitalised, the Chinese government
has moved aggressively to deal with the scandal, blanketing the country with
food inspectors. But melamine-tainted food and feed products continue to turn up
in neighboring regions that trade with China.
Hong Kong officials have
discovered melamine in milk, eggs and other food products imported from China,
and are now testing a wide range of food and feed products for
melamine.
More than double of safety level
Inspectors said fish
feed imported from Fujian province in southern China was found to have more than
twice the level of melamine deemed to be safe for food, 6.6 parts per
million.
The acceptable level in Hong Kong and the United States is 2.5
parts per million.
But the Hong Kong government Web site said that
melamine-tainted fish feed would probably not pose serious health problems for
people who consumed fish because consumers would not be directly eating the
melamine.
As a precautionary measure, however, inspectors asked Hong Kong
fish farms not to use feed contaminated with
melamine.
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