Philippine News
9/26/08 DOH wants full disclosure of ingredients from milk companies
Health Secretary Francisco Duque said Friday that the government will demand a full disclosure of ingredients from all milk companies in the country and milk distribution firms to assure Filipino consumers are safe from the toxic ingredient melamine found in some milk products in China.

"We will come up with new sets of requirements and ask companies manufacturing milk products for a full disclosure. If there is misinformation, we will file the appropriate charges," Duque told radio dzMM.

He said the Department of Health wants to make sure that all formula milk and other milk products, including chocolates and cheese, available in Philippine market have no traces of Chinese milk ingredients.

Duque said the Department of Health (DOH) will start Friday formulating the new requirements and immediately send it to milk producing companies.

"We'll ask, even the local companies, for a full disclosure of ingredients. Local [milk] products may have Chinese milk as base ingredient," he added.

Five major food companies--Alaska Milk Corp., Magnolia Inc., RFM Corp., Mead Johnson, Kraft Foods--assured Filipino consumers on Thursday that their products are free of melamine, a toxic ingredient found in Chinese milk products that sickened thousands of Chinese babies.

Wilfred Uytengsu Jr., chief executive officer (CEO) of Alaska Milk Corporation, said their company does not use milk imported from China in their products.

Mead Johnson, meanwhile, said its milk products are safe since it "does not use dairy or protein-containing raw ingredients from China at any of its manufacturing sites."

RFM Corp. also assured the public that its dairy products are safe and do not contain melamine. Among the dairy products of the Concepcion-owned firm are: Selecta ice cream, Selecta Fortified Milk, and Selecta Moo chocolate drink.

Magnolia Inc. and Kraft made similar statements allaying fears of their consumers that their products are contaminated with melamine.

The local companies issued the statements amid Brueau of Food and Drugs and DOH's Chinese milk ban.

Breast milk is still best

In the radio interview, Duque said the Chinese milk scare is a reminder to mothers and parents that the most reliable food for their babies is breast milk.

"This is the best time to tell Filipino mothers to breastfeed their babies. Its the best for babies and also for mothers who wants to stay sexy after labor," he said.

Ma. Inez Fernandez, executive director of Arugaan, told radio dzMM Thursday formula milk or artificial milk "will not guarantee you food safety at all."

Fernandez said before China discovered that Sanlu and other Chinese milk products contained the toxic chemical melamine, several top brand milk products around the world have been recalled for industrial errors.

"Because the milk industry's technology doesn't guarantee 100 percent sterilization," she said."

Fernandez said the presence of microorganism called enterobacter sakazakii have been detected in several milk brands around the world. She said the microorganism is one of the causes of sepsis or blood poisoning, which kills infants.

A United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) document called "By the number," said other reasons of milk product recalls around the world are the detection of bacteria, microorganisms, and glass particles.

Fernandez said that because of the dangers of formula milk to babies, the group has intensified its breastfeeding campaign in the Philippines.

She said formula milk for toddlers is also not advisable. Instead of toddler milk formulas, parents should develop a healthy eating habit for their child.back