FDA Ban on Chinese Dairy Products Long-Overdue

Press Release

Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3) issued the following statement following the Food and Drug Administration's announcement that it would expand its import alert to Chinese dairy products, and food and feed products manufactured in China that contain dairy ingredients.

DeLauro has advocated for strengthening the food safety system and has introduced legislation, the Food Safety Modernization Act, to split the FDA into two separate agencies - dividing the food safety responsibilities from the drug and device safety responsibilities. This would establish an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services with responsibility for all food safety issues currently administered by FDA.

"The FDA should have acted sooner to ban these milk products from entering the country. It is disappointing that the ban did not apply to egg and fish products given that animal feed has been found to be contaminated with melamine.

"Clearly, the problems involving melamine in China are significantly deeper than FDA would have us believe. Based on investigative reports, it would appear that melamine trafficking in China shares similar characteristics with the illegal drug trade - underground laboratories, unscrupulous street dealers, and all of it operated by criminal syndicates.

"Sadly, this is a situation that will be very difficult to get under control, and the current FDA structure seems incapable of addressing major food safety problems. This is why it is critical that food safety functions be separated from the FDA in order to create the regulatory infrastructure that could tackle these situations more effectively. So, while this FDA action is welcome, I am concerned that it is too late to really accomplish anything."

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