November 29, 2008
France destroys melamine-tainted poultry feed
France has destroyed nearly 1,200 tonnes of poultry feed this month after traces of melamine were found in a batch of Chinese soymeal, said a spokesman from farm cooperative Terrena on Friday (Nov 28, 2008).
Terrena said levels of melamine up to 30 times higher than permitted were discovered at the start of November in western France, after about 1,000 tonnes of tainted feed was consumed by farm birds.
Terrena said conducted tests showed there is no risk for human health, but it had lodged a complaint with the producer and halted all imports of Chinese soymeal.
The findings did not prompt the withdrawal of any poultry products from supermarkets after French food safety agency Afssa said that there were no health risks.
Melamine was at the centre of a contaminated milk scandal in China some months ago, where tainted milk formulas killed some infants and sickened thousand others.
Melamine, normally used to make plastics, was found in milk powder, wheat gluten, and other Chinese-made ingredients used in products ranging from pet food to candy.
Melamine increases nitrogen content, which enables poor quality products to fool quality tests that evaluate nitrogen level to measure protein content.