Personal Injury Law

Food Safety: Melamine contamination accusations against America's Wyeth

By Steve Lombardi

Wyeth, an American company manufacturing baby formula, is accused by a Chinese consumer of melamine contamination. Wyeth has tested and denies any contamination with melamine. A consumer surnamed Li has provided a list of 19 Chinese babies who are claimed to have kidney stones.

What are the possibilities with this claim?

1. There is melamine in the formula and it was introduced during the manufacturing process. This is highly unlikely.

2. There is melamine in the formula, but it was added after the consumer purchase. The baby's do have kidney stones but not from melamine in any of Wyeth's formula. They drank formula manufactured from Sanlu. Wyeth is now being targeted because these parents know they can't get compensation from the Chinese manufacturer and help in the Chinese Courts.

3. There are no kidney stones or melamine in the children's formula.

So what do would we want to see? We want to see the formula for Wyeth to examine it and determine if it was manufactured in their plants. To determine if in fact there is melamine in the formula. And the babies examined by a physician of Wyeth's choosing. And finally produce the parents for questioning.

The last request would be free speech in China; freedom to criticize the Chinese Communist Party and government officials. Along with an investigation into the officials that looked the other way when melamine was added by Chinese milk producers. Without that America will never believe this claim against Wyeth. It looks more like simple retaliation by the CCP or desperation by the parents who need more than a mere $12,500 US in compensation to care for their sickened babies.

The Chinese government would be wise to closely investigate this claim.

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on March 02, 2009 (boomark / email).