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Dairy farmers 'to blame' for poisoned milk

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-13 08:33

The Ministry of Health ordered local officials to report all possible cases by Friday evening, but the figures were not immediately known. Also on Friday, the ministry released a diagnosis and treatment guide for infants with similar symptoms.

According to local reports, almost all of the babies are under 12 months old and come from rural areas. Many of them had consumed the same brand of Sanlu milk powder, which is one of the cheapest on the market.

On Friday, supermarkets and stores across the country began pulling the formula off their shelves. Some chain stores, including Carrefour, said they had stopped selling Sanlu products altogether.

Han Yongmei, a sales assistant at a Wu-Mart store in the Chaoyang district of Beijing, said the chain suspended sales of all dried milk products from Sanlu soon after the scandal broke.

Liu Yanxi, a mother-to-be shopping in the market, said: "The Sanlu brand was credible in my mind and I planned to buy it for my baby. But now, I won't buy any milk powder. I've decided to breastfeed instead."

Melamine, which is often used in plastics, fertilizers and cleaning products, could cause kidney problems if consumed, experts have said.

Chen Min, a food science and nutrition professor with China Agricultural University, said: "It's not supposed to be in food at all, so there's no requirements or standards for testing for it in milk."

However, because melamine is nitrogen rich, it can make food appear to be high in protein. Standard tests for protein in bulk food ingredients measure levels of nitrogen, she said.

The problem first surfaced last year when melamine-contaminated pet food from China was linked to kidney failure in cats and dogs in the US, Chen said.

"It's unbelievable the same substance has now appeared in baby milk powder."

The incident could lead to dairy product companies no longer accepting, or accepting less, milk from individual farmers, she said.

"Only those who can ensure safety will get the market."

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