On October 29th, a new recall was issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) relating to Chinese milk derived products. This expands the products that have been affected by melamine contamination in China. The FDA lists the products that have been recalled here.

What role can trade data play when imports are at the center of a controversy like this?

The melamine recall affects a small number of imports that are sold at Asian specialty stores. However, investigating the recalled products and their importers, we can better understand how large this problem may be, what other products from these sources could be involved, and how long the products have been in the United States.

I did some research into the specific companies/products the FDA lists on their website and found shipment details for most of them listing the importer of record, the shipper (possible manufacturer), and the description of the actual product. Click the link below to see a Bill of Lading for one of the recalled products:

White Rabbit Candies Sample

Members of the business community can also put Bill of Lading data to use by being able to fully vet their suppliers, knowing exactly what they have been exporting to the U.S. and to whom. Manufacturers could use the data to prospect for new customers by learning who the affected manufacturer's U.S. customers were. Journalists could use this information to provide compelling facts about a recall or expand the scope of the piece by knowing all the players.

The final important group that takes great interest when product safety is concerned are attorneys and investigators. TradeIQ’s U.S. Customs data provides key facts needed to prove a company imported products, identify jurisdiction, and determine suppliers like in the melamine case. Zepol has written a case study on how some law firms have incorporated this data in their international practices.