The IHT philosophizes on what brought on the melamine scandal.
International Herald Tribune
The melamine stain: One sign of a worldwide problem
By Thomas Fuller
Sunday, October 12, 2008
BANGKOK: Is there more tainted food out there?
[The far-flung recall of products contaminated with melamine – dozens of brands of infant formula in China, Cadbury chocolates in Australia, Lipton green tea in Taiwan and Nabisco Ritz cheese crackers in South Korea among them – has shaken the confidence of consumers and provided a window into what some describe as disturbing aspects of the increasingly globalized food manufacturing industry…
…The melamine scandal has heightened fears that the food business is racing ahead of the ability of governments to detect health-threatening contamination, whether accidental or deliberate….
….”It’s difficult sometimes to try to figure out how a certain product has been assembled and where a problem may have come from,” said Peter Hoejskov, a specialist in food quality and safety at the regional headquarters here of the Food and Agriculture Organization, a UN agency. “The globalization of food production is definitely an issue.”…]
I said before that food globalization has created many gaps in assuring food safety. Several times a month I get USA, FDA or sometimes USDA notices informing me of some food contaminant, usually allergens, or bacteria or occasionally foreign objects. Hidden contaminants, like melamine are not immediately apparent upon inspection. Testing is reguired. Company cooperation is vital and voluntary recalls form companies indicate their willingness to maintain standards. However, it still comes down to having standards, having inspectors, and having money to perform required activities. There is no such uniform thing across country boarders.
What are we going to do about it?
Grab and Keel 
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