Comments on: Home testing kit for melamine?

By: Halaluani

Halaluani — Sun, 24 May 2009 21:11:50 +0000

I would definitely use something like this if it was priced below $100 and if there was information from an independent company on the accuracy of the device.

By: Pat in Raleigh

Pat in Raleigh — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:46:48 +0000

If the Drawdry melamine test kit is affordable, there’s no question I’d use it. I lost a cat to the melamine contaminated food in 2007. This past spring, just as the Chinese children began to die from melamine contaminated formula, I posted questions on this board regarding the safety of KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer) formula because some batches I’d recently begun to use were more runny/less creamy in consistency, smelled more like chemicals than milk, and were suddenly being rejected by the 5 healthy kittens I was fostering at the time. The manufacturer’s safety rep swore to me that their milk products came from New Zealand and were safe and devoid of Chinese ingredients. Since that time we’ve now discovered that melamine has made its way into the formula sold for human infant consumption, so I have no question that it was also in the KMR. Ever since I fed the 5 kittens the questionable batches of KMR they have begun to drink large amounts of water and urinate copiously, completely soaking their litterboxes every two days with urine that reeks of ammonia. I am gravely concerned that they may now have damaged kidneys.

So there is no question that I would purchase an affordable, at-home test kit for melamine. I can’t afford to send off samples that cost hundreds of dollars to test. But I would be a fool not to test at home, provided the test was reliable and affordable. It would give me peace of mind and prevent untold damage to the health of innocent animals. Of course it’s simply unethical for the FDA and the food producers/importers NOT to be testing for food safety, but until our government forces them to do their job, it’s incumbent on me to do it for them, for the sake of the animals at risk.

Can’t wait for the test kit to become available!

By: Barb

Barb — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 19:49:35 +0000

Obama’s administrations Secretary of Agriculture and Secretary of the Interior will have much power over food and animal welfare issues. Please visit the following HSUS page where you can learn about the differences between the proposed legislators, and from where you can send letters urging the President Elect to make animal friendly choices, for the the animals, the environment and our health.

Go to https://community.hsus.org/campaign/HSLF_2008_obama_cabinet/nap7mtnwe3

Now back to the melamine issue….Walgreens is recalling Teddy Bears sold with 4oz chocolate bars due to melamine found in the chocolate.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — DEERFIELD, Ill., Dec. 5, 2008 – Walgreens is recalling 173 teddy bears with chocolate bars sold in stores since late September 2008. Analysis by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that certain samples of the chocolate provided with the teddy bears were contaminated with melamine. Customers who purchased any of the 173 teddy bears should return them immediately to the Walgreens stores where they were purchased for a full refund.

Walgreens already has instructed stores to stop selling the product, which is specifically described as an approximately 9-inch high Dressy Teddy Bear with 4-oz. Chocolate Bar. The product’s UPC number is 047475864485, and the product tag also includes the item number 291332. Walgreens has not received any reports of illness or injury related to this product.

Walgreens takes the safety of its customers seriously and is working with the FDA on this recall.

For additional information, visit Walgreens Web site at http://www.walgreens.com/image.....Safety.pdf

or contact Walgreens Product Quality department at 847-315-2755, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Central time.

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmr.....12_08.html

By: Lee

Lee — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 03:03:35 +0000

The best thing you can all do is to send OBAMA an email and ensure that he gets the right people into the FDA— who undertand the longer term quality risks of melamine on people. I would certainly purchase a kit — if it were reliable, not too expensive and enable me to test many foods. The problem with food “made in the U.S.” is that we don’t know where the ingredients come from — and you can’t trust brands!

By: brian peoples

brian peoples — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:57:25 +0000

i am trying to do a science fair project testing melamine in pet food, formula and dairy projects. I am interested in using your test kit. I need to have the project completed by january 30,2009. This is a message for joy drawdy. please email me if this is a possibility. davidp@touringcyclist.com

By: Jane

Jane — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:36:33 +0000

I believe that my 4 year old cat died from the melamine that Menu Foods was using in the food that I fed my cat. I would be very interested in a test that could be done for both melamine and cyanuric acid because I don’t trust any corporate food manufacturers. I also think there should be a law that requires food processing companies to test the ingredients that they use in their products. I watched a Congressional hearing on CSPAN where FDA employees provided information on the extent to which products from foreign countries are tested. I was amazed to learn that there is little to no testing done at all. An importer was required to submit a lab test on the first two shipments of a product. After that, the shipments of the importer were not checked. It would be interesting to know if the food manufacturers who had melamine and cyanuric acid in their food are still importing from China and if they are doing any testing on the ingredients that they use.

By: Sandi K

Sandi K — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 07:35:41 +0000

I would want to know what this home kit tests down to as far as ppms (parts per million) and whether it is only for melamine or does it include cyanuric acid. I am aware of labs having false positives and false negatives and I wonder how this home test kit would take that into account. Last I checked there were only a few labs able to test down to a very low level and they have very sophisticated equipment so I would wonder how this home test kit can provide accurate results that one can feel secure with.

By: Joy

Joy — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:15:22 +0000

Thanks Gina! It’s been a crazy few weeks for rescue here. We’ve had a hit-by-car foundling, a dumped litter of hunting pups, a cat with one eye, a depressed IG whose owner died and now this sweet momma dog. I’m pretty sure I’m sleep-walking through most of my days at this point! But the good news is that everyone is safe and warm tonight. :-)

By: Gina Spadafori

Gina Spadafori — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:06:42 +0000

Thanks, Joy!

And best wishes with fostering puppies. Lots of work, but lots of joy. :)

By: Joy

Joy — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:03:01 +0000

Hi all! Things have been hectic with a new stray dog who came to me in labor! It’s been a while since I’ve had newborn pups!

Anyway, about my test kit: The local newspaper quoted me as saying I have a patent when actually my status is “patent-pending“. The whole patent approval process is pretty involved and can take some time; in fact my application won’t be published for 18 months from the date I filed with the USPTO.

The kit has gone through validation and sensitivity testing but we are right now in the process of getting the final validations done by an accredited laboratory. One of my biggest concerns has been to keep the test simple enough so that the final product will be as inexpensive as possible. That’s been a rough issue to overcome.

Anyway, the test is real and it does work. In the past few weeks, I’ve managed to finally put together a strong marketing and legal team and expect things to start moving along much faster now. Certainly, the kit will be fully validated with repeatable and reliable results before it goes to market.