Why the %$#@ is Melamine Added to Food?!?

Many know why, but I’m concerned that there are plenty more who don’t keep reading below the fold (or the headline).

I subscribe to the good ‘ole theory that humans are fundamentally concerned about their own self-preservation, but that evolution has shaped our society such that self-preservation is best achieved through cooperation and building strong relationships with others.

This results in the paradox that our innate selfishness drives the vast majority of us to be good, decent folk. Thus the possibility that adding melamine to baby formula was driven by some nefarious purpose is quite remote. I guess that means we have to turn to some science.

Wikipedia’s usually pretty spot on with the science stuff, and the melamine article is no exception.

First, in what products should we find melamine? Countertops, dry erase boards, fabrics, glues, housewares, flame retardants, inks, plastics, and fertilizers. These are all things we should not make a habit out of eating.

Why is melamine bad for us? Available evidence from animal studies shows that melamine alone has no significant toxic effects. The problem is when melamine is combined with cyanuric acid forming melamine cyanurate, the salt which has been found in Chinese gluten in the past. Melamine cyanurate has been linked to kidney failure in cats, and I’m not a doctor but those children in China are being hit with kidney stones.

And, why the #%&@ is melamine cropping up in Chinese food supplies? When food is tested for protein content one of the things tested for is nitrogen levels. Melamine tricks the testers by raising the nitrogen levels of the food. When the testers think there is a higher level of protein than there actually is, then the food manufacturers can place a cheaper filler in the food. In the case of powdered milk, melamine was added to dilute the amount of milk necessary for high protein readings meaning that the more expensive animal product would have actually provided.

Why aren’t US and EU food producers doing this? If China’s analogue is the US in the late 19th/early 20th century, check out The Jungle. Basically, we’ve got stricter regulations, better testing equipment, and, in the US, a tort system that will make you pay dearly for these failures. These are just things that come with time and the maturity of the legal system. And, if you look at US jurisprudence from the good ‘ole days you’ll find that industry, especially railroads, got a lot of breaks in the days before judges determined that industry was robust enough to pay for its mistakes. China, of course, has a heavy-handed criminal judiciary, but I’m hoping somebody’s filing some torts on behalf of the, at least, 1,253 families in China that have suffered.