Caloocan launches drive vs banned Chinese milk products

Caloocan City Mayor Enrico Echiverri yesterday ordered the prominently post a list of banned Chinese milk and milk products in all stores in the city.

The mayor said this was to adequately warn consumers against melamine-tainted milk and other food products from China.

Echiverri said he has ordered the city’s health and market division to launch an information campaign to inform the public about which dairy products are fit for human consumption.

“It is the best way to insure that the public would not only be spared from the unfair practices by unscrupulous traders but, more importantly, keep them away from the dangerous ill effects of the dreaded chemical,” said the mayor.

Echiverri also instructed his constituents to specifically avoid patronizing milk brands manufactured by the Mengniu Dairy Corp. (Mengniu) and Inner Mongolia Yili Group (Yili), which have tested positive for melamine.

The Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) said melamine is sometimes added to food products by unscrupulous manufacturers in order to increase the apparent protein content of milk.

The mayor also alerted the city’s health department to check on hospitals and health centers for cases of kidney-related illnesses among babies that could have resulted from the consumption of contaminated milk from China.

The city government has also been continuously and aggressively promoting breast milk as the best food for babies up to two years old.     — Jerry Botial