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Food contamination: China to tighten regulatory norms

SHANGHAI: China’s health authorities on Monday ordered an overhaul of the food safety system after two infants died and more than 1,253 babies developed kidney stones after consuming contaminated milk powder.

Initial investigations indicated that milk powder produced by the country’s largest producer of baby products, the Sanlu Group, was contaminated with melamine, an industrial chemical used in manufacturing fabrics, plastics and glue. Melamine has the same white, powdery appearance as milk powder, and is used to artificially raise the protein content of food products. Babies that were fed the Sanlu formula were reported to have developed kidney stones and stones in their urinary tract.

Health authorities said two babies died in China’s northwest Gansu province, and at least 1,253 babies had been reported to have taken ill, as of Monday morning.

Most of the illnesses were reported in Gansu and in the northern province of Hebei, where the Sanlu Group is based. Over the weekend, the outbreak had spread to Shanghai, with the Shanghai Health Bureau reporting at least 22 cases of babies developing kidney stones.

By Sunday, most of Shanghai’s big supermarkets had pulled Sanlu’s products off their shelves. Local health officials were seen carrying out inspections in the city’s stores over the weekend and seizing Sanlu products for investigations.

The outbreak raises serious questions about China’s food safety monitoring system. The Sanlu Group had received complaints from consumers as early as in March. Following an internal company investigation, it decided to recall some of its products.

But the complaints were neither reported to local health authorities nor revealed to the public, and products whose safety was in question remained available for purchase in stores across the country.

For the government, the incident draws unwelcome international attention to the standards of its food-safety practices.

This is not the first instance that Chinese food producers have been found using melamine to meet international standards. In March 2007, melamine was found in certain brands of pet food products made in China, resulting in the deaths of dogs and cats in the U.S. The incident led to the recall of several brands of pet foods from North America and Europe, and also tainted the reputation of Chinese food products overseas.

The government was quick to downplay international concerns. Health Ministry official Gao Qiang said the Sanlu Group had been ordered to stop production, and was likely to face “heavy punishment”.

“None of the milk powder was exported to other countries or regions,” he said, adding: “Only a fraction of the milk powder was sold to Taiwan for food processing.”

On this occasion, the government has been quick in its response. Local authorities said on Monday that more than 10,000 tonnes of the formula that was seized would be destroyed.

Mr. Gao also promised an upgrade of the supervision of food safety to “a new level” and said the State Council had launched, with immediate effect, a nation-wide check-up on all of the producers of milk powder and dairy products.

Two brothers, surnamed Geng, were arrested on Monday in Hebei for selling contaminated milk, said authorities. They told the police they had tainted the milk because they had suffered losses after their milk station was reportedly rejected by the Sanlu Group, state media reported.

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