To cap off the previous posts Resolved Question and Avoid ‘Made in China’, and find out if Anmum Materna (a Fonterra brand, powdered prenatal milk supplement, “especially formulated for pregnant women”) does or does not contain melamine, here’s a list on the website of the Philippine Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD):

• Milk and Milk Products Tested for the Presence of Melamine (as of 21 October 2008)

The list item entitled Milk and Milk Products where Melamine was not Detected (Released 07 Oct 2008, posted 08 Oct 2008) has Anmum Materna Milk Powder (Chocolate Flavor) 400g on it.

So now we know the BFAD says Anmum Materna does not contain melamine. Phew! Why so specific? What about the other flavors? What about the other sizes aside from 400g? Do we take the BFAD’s word for it? What about redundant testing (like a second opinion) by another body, such as the WHO? With one question answered, here I am coming up with follow-up questions. Am I just being a paranoid father-to-be?

Note about the BFAD website: it sucks. Okay, so maybe that was harsh. Shall I just say that the website is quite, erm, “nostalgic”, “old-school”, or “outdated”? Perhaps their budget is limited and their website is not a priority. That’s fine by me, as long as they do a good job at making sure the “food and drugs” available here are safe. There’s also the other possibility of them having a considerable website budget, but the sub-standard output is the result of “other or inflated expenses”.