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Police have arrested six suspects and detained another 41 for allegedly participating in the production and distribution of melamine-tainted milk powder, food safety authorities said over the weekend.
In the latest national crackdown on toxic milk products, as of Friday the police had seized 227 tons of newly discovered melamine-contaminated milk powder after the previous nationwide crackdown in 2008.
The goods included 124 tons from a dairy in Northwest China's Qinghai province and 103 tons by other manufacturers in Hebei, Shanxi, Heilongjiang provinces and Tianjin municipality, the national food safety regulating work office said in a statement.
Last week, Vice-Premier Li Keqiang, chairman of a national food safety commission, urged food inspection authorities to strengthen supervision in order to improve food safety in the wake of the latest problems.
In 2008, the toxic milk powder scandal killed at least six infants and sickened 300,000 children in China, sending shockwaves across the world. In the incident, milk powder from 22 domestic dairy plants was found to contain excessive melamine, an industrial chemical that is added to watered-down milk to boost its protein levels during quality tests.
The latest melamine scandal was first discovered in Northwest China's Gansu province in late June.
Police have since traced its source to the Dongyuan Dairy Factory, Minhe county, in neighboring Qinghai province, according to the statement.
The factory's head, Liu Zhanfeng, deputy head Liu Xiping and workshop director Wang Haifeng were among those arrested, together with three dairy suppliers from Hebei province.
Tests on samples of the milk powder, which the food safety authorities said was left over from the original batches of melamine-laced milk powder that were supposed to have been destroyed in 2008, showed it contained up to 500 times the legally permitted amount of the industrial chemical, the statement said.
In March this year, a Shanghai court sentenced three executives from Shanghai Panda Dairy Co to jail terms of three to five years for their roles in the production and sale of melamine-laced dairy products, which were also left over from 2008.
Commenting on the latest scandal, an unnamed official from the national food safety office was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as saying that it reflected "serious loopholes" in supervision and poor management by local authorities.
According to the official, an investigation is being held to see whether any dereliction of duty took place among supervision authorities where the latest toxic milk products were found and that those found responsible would be punished.
In June this year, the required protein level in dairy products was lowered from 2.95 to 2.8 percent to discourage farmers from using additives.
Questions:
1. How much milk powder was seized in the latest crackdown?
2. Where were they found?
3. What happened in 2008?
Answers:
1. Police seized 227 tons of newly discovered melamine-contaminated milk powder.
2. 124 tons from a dairy in Northwest China's Qinghai province and 103 tons by other manufacturers in Hebei, Shanxi, Heilongjiang provinces and Tianjin municipality.
3. In 2008, the toxic milk powder scandal killed at least six infants and sickened 300,000 children in China, sending shockwaves across the world.
（中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語(yǔ)點(diǎn)津 Helen 編輯）
About the broadcaster:
Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is fluent in Korean and has a 2-year-old son.
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