Mexican officials seize imported dairy products

Myrtle Beach online ^ | Nov. 05, 2004 | E. EDUARDO CASTILLO

[FITZ]

MEXICO CITY - Mexican officials have impounded 59 tons of dried dairy products imported from the United States to see if any of them came from a Texas company accused of distributing contaminated baby formula, this country's Health Secretary said Friday.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has accused El Paso-based Milky Way Traders Inc. of shipping milk products meant only for animals into Mexico as baby formula safe for humans. On Monday, his office obtained a restraining order halting the company from distributing its products south of the border, but Mexico fears some may already have made their way here.

In a statement released Friday night, Mexico's Treasury Department said its border agents were on high-alert to guard against any Milky Way Traders products crossing the border.

The statement went on to say that on Tuesday, a farming distributor based in the border state of Chihuahua legally obtained permission to import 27,500 kilograms (6,0625 pounds) of powdered milk from the company. The Mexican importer also paid Milky Way Traders for 12 more shipments that had yet to arrive, it said.

Federal officials were inspecting the importer's Chihuahua headquarters to ensure no more possibly contaminated milk products arrived, though it was unclear if the milk that already made it across the border had been shipped off for sale as save for human or animal consumption.

Milky Way Traders owner told Texas officials the dairy products were being sold only as animal feed and Mexico's Health Department issued a statement Wednesday saying there was no evidence Milky Way Traders products had been approved for sale as baby formula in this country.

But Health Secretary Julio Frank Mora said two days later that health inspectors had seized 31 tons of dairy products shipped from the United States to warehouses across Mexico, and had impounded a shipment of 28 tons as it crossed from El Paso to Ciudad Juarez, just over the border.

He said health officials would perform a series of tests to ensure that no contaminated products or animal feed would be sold as baby formula.

The impounded products had been shipped or were on their way to 14 Mexican dairy distributors known to have bought stock from Milky Way Traders in the past, Frank Mora said.

Eleven of the distributors are located in nine states in central and northern Mexico, the other three did not list addresses for their headquarters, according to a list of the businesses obtained by The Associated Press.

"One can assume that 14 businesses have distributed the milk in Mexico," said Socorro Cordova, a spokesman for the Mexican consulate in El Paso. "Here the milk was labeled as animal product. The problem is it was relabeled and brought into Mexico for human consumption."

According to the Texas Attorney General's Office, dried dairy products were bought by Milky Way Traders from manufacturers who labeled it as animal feed. The product was mixed under filthy conditions that resulted in contamination with dirt and flies and then sold to Mexican food manufacturers labeled as fit for human consumption.

Reach by telephone on Friday, Paco Felici, a spokesman for the Texas Attorney General's office, said Milky Way Traders had "illegally labeled" its dairy products.

"There were containers of animal products that were clearly labeled and from (those containers) the product inside was transferred to containers marked as products for human consumption," Felici said.

[FITZ]

Looks like Mexico is interfering with NAFTA agreements again. We're supposed to eat fecal contaminated green onions, but they don't want fecal contaminated baby formula?

[sarcasm]

The product was mixed under filthy conditions that resulted in contamination with dirt

Hmmm, just like the conditions in Mexican outdoor markets.

[sierrahome]

I guess I just should not get too upset about my lettuce and celery grown in human waste thanks to NAFTA.

[FITZ]

"Here the milk was labeled as animal product. The problem is it was relabeled and brought into Mexico for human consumption."

The relabeling happened in Mexico --- not very surprising. The importers don't care --- after all free trade is just about getting rich.

[cynicom]

Only fair, Mexico ships us their human waste.

[FITZ]

Thing is --- it's our government actually doing something about the shipments of filthy infant formula --- the Mexican government wouldn't care.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/infant_formula.html

Texas Halts Contaminated Infant Formula Shipments To Mexico

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has obtained an emergency restraining order and asset freeze to stop an unlicensed food manufacturer and distributor from shipping contaminated infant formula into Mexico.

[FITZ]

I guess we're just getting even for the deadly onions.

http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20041102-189157.shtml

Plant's baby formula called 'filthy'

Officials said that at least 60,000 pounds of the contaminated formula made its way to eight or nine distributors in Mexico, including one in Obregon and one in Cuauhtémoc in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, which is hours from Juárez.

But since Milky Way Traders had been in existence for nine years without a license and without a single recorded health inspection, there could be more tainted formula circulating, health officials said.

[sarcasm]

The relabeling happened in Mexico --- not very surprising.

My last visit to Mexico resulted in an acute case of gastritis - guess where I won't be going again.

[FITZ]

Another example of NAFTA and free trade. You'd think import agreements would only involve licensed and inspected food producers but this is another example like the Chi-Chi's imported fecal laden green onions.

EP Business Allegedly Sells Contaminated Baby Formula to Mexico

The Consumer Protection Division did not alert Yvon Belliard of the ongoing investigation based on the possibility he would run away. ABC-7 went to see the owner of Milky Way Traders of El Paso at the plant at 130 Montoya, but were quickly pushed away.

A lawsuit obtained by ABC-7says "The defendant purchased dried dairy products and other ingredients sold by the original manufacturers or distributors as animal feed only, mixed and package the products under filthy conditions and then sold some of their product to Mexican Food manufacturers mis-labeled as food product."

[Tacis]

A simple misunderstanding! They thought that the bribes to the Mexican customs agents and to Presidente Fox's representatives had been paid. I'm sure this can be resolved. What do you think, an extra 3%? Yes, that should be enough. Gracias, presidente!

[endthematrix]

"shipping milk products meant only for animals into Mexico as baby formula safe for humans"

Uh-oh! Better have deep pockets!

[FITZ]

I have a feeling the business bringing the contaminated dairy products into Mexico was Mexican owned --- the one article said there was a concern the owner would flee --- and I would guess that would be to flee into Mexico where he'd be very safe and protected.