Hopefully you all have heard about it, and in any case are not using such powdered or other food products. The dog and cat food poisening a couple years ago was also from the melamine causing the recent severe health risks and deaths in China from infant formula cut with melamine.

The following excerpted from email being passed around, is not quite accurate - the bar code thing is only sometimes helpful as discussed in detail on Snopes.
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The important point is: 'MELAMINE SHOULD NOT, CANNOT BE EATEN!' And is at risk in many US products as well as China/Taiwan dairy products.

What foods are to be avoided?
Foods from China that contain dairy products should be avoided.; that means foods with cream or milk should be avoided.

.What do we do next?

Avoid the above foods for at least six months if you don't know how clean they are. If you have infants at home, change to mother's milk or find other substitutes.

The whole world is very afraid of "Made In China" 'black-hearted' goods. Do you know how to differentiate which products are made in the USA, or in the Philippines, in Taiwan, or in China?

Here's How:
The first 3 digits of the barcode identify the country code
wherein the product was made.

For Example: ALL barcodes that start with 690, 691, 692, etc., . .
up to and including 695 are all MADE IN CHINA.

Today, Chinese businessmen know that consumers will not select products 'Made in China'. So, they make every effort not to show or state the country of origin on their products. However, you can now refer to the barcode.

Barcodes starting with 471 are printed on products Made in Taiwan. All 480 Codes are Made in the Philippines.

OTHER BARCODES:
00 ~ 13 USA & CANADA
30 ~ 37 FRANCE
40 ~ 44 GERMANY
49 ~ JAPAN
50 ~ UK
57 ~ Denmark
64 ~ Finland
76 ~ Switzerland and Liechtenstein
628 ~ Saudi-Arabia
629 ~ United Arab Emirates
740 ~ 745 - Central America

Please inform your family and friends and help others to be aware!

FYI - one way they get around putting bar codes on products is through selling Made in China products through catalog or direct selling companies. If you purchase a product from these companies and there is NO BAR CODE, make sure not to purchase anything EDIBLE from them at all! That's the only way to protect youself. If you get an edible product with no bar code - RETURN IT - do not take a chance!
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SO, in the US also there are huge melamine plants apparently - used for fertilizer and who knows what else. Sigh... Go organic and avoid junk candy or foods or cleaning products etc is the obvious wisdom, who will remember all the rest of this, which keeps changing anyway? Take care - Ysha