Cronobacter Support
07-31-2009, 10:35 AM
ANGRY parents were demanding yesterday to know why China's biggest powdered milk producer, state-owned Sanlu, withdrew its products from sale only last Thursday when the company knew as far back as March that they were contaminated.
A baby has died in rural Gansu province, and at least 432 others - possibly the final figure will total tens of thousands - have contracted kidney stones as a result of melamine, a banned chemical product substantially comprising nitrogen, being added to the powder to boost its apparent protein content.
Furious Chinese bloggers have begun suggesting that news of the poisoning was deliberately suppressed to prevent adverse news during the Olympic Games, held from August 8 to 24.
Hebei provincial government, where most of Sanlu's milk powder is made, on Saturday ordered the company to halt production. The products have been sold in China and Taiwan.
Officials yesterday defended their response, saying 19 people had been detained and 78 were being questioned about how the banned chemical was added.
Melamine is the substance added to pet food that resulted in the recall of 100 Chinese-made products last year when American pets died after eating them. In 2004, 13 babies in Anhui province died after consuming a milk powder that lacked any nutrients.
These scandals largely involved small-scale manufacturers. The new baby formula scandal features one of China's most prominent food firms. Sanlu is owned by Shijiazhuang Dairy Group, which collects 3000tonnes of milk daily from 40,000 farmers. It supplies 18 per cent of China's powdered milk.
More than half of China's parents feed their babies with formula. And Sanlu advertises that its powdered milk has to pass "1100 tests".
Three years ago, 43 per cent of the company was bought by New Zealand's largest company, Fonterra, for $155million. Fonterra also has about $2billion of investments in Australia.
Fonterra sought, through its alliance with Sanlu, to ratchet up its presence in the Chinese market, where demand for dairy products was tiny until recently - but where milk production is now soaring by 25 per cent a year.
Fonterra has now issued a statement that "it is pushing hard to make sure that Sanlu is working closely with China's Government to ensure that everything that can be done is being done to protect the safety and health of consumers".
The Health Ministry has taken over many responsibilities of oversight in this area from the state food and drug administration, whose former head, Zheng Xiaoyu, was executed a year ago for taking about $1million in bribes to approve new drugs.
Gao Qiang, a senior Health Ministry official, said Sanlu first received complaints in March - and that these concerns were upheld by an internal company investigation.
But the group did not report this to the Government or the public. And it appears melamine continued to be added until last month. Mr Gao said the sick babies would receive free medical treatment from the Government.
"Those responsible for the contaminated milk will face severe punishment," said another health official, Mao Qunan.
The ruling Communist Party's propaganda department has issued a series of instructions to media as to how to handle the story. Media are warned to "strictly standardise" news sources to follow Xinhua and People's Daily reports, and to "emphasise the Government's handling of the crisis and progress, and the care given to the babies".
No one has yet indicated at which stage in the process the melamine was added - by farmers or by Sanlu itself.
Posted from theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24344804-25837,00.html
A baby has died in rural Gansu province, and at least 432 others - possibly the final figure will total tens of thousands - have contracted kidney stones as a result of melamine, a banned chemical product substantially comprising nitrogen, being added to the powder to boost its apparent protein content.
Furious Chinese bloggers have begun suggesting that news of the poisoning was deliberately suppressed to prevent adverse news during the Olympic Games, held from August 8 to 24.
Hebei provincial government, where most of Sanlu's milk powder is made, on Saturday ordered the company to halt production. The products have been sold in China and Taiwan.
Officials yesterday defended their response, saying 19 people had been detained and 78 were being questioned about how the banned chemical was added.
Melamine is the substance added to pet food that resulted in the recall of 100 Chinese-made products last year when American pets died after eating them. In 2004, 13 babies in Anhui province died after consuming a milk powder that lacked any nutrients.
These scandals largely involved small-scale manufacturers. The new baby formula scandal features one of China's most prominent food firms. Sanlu is owned by Shijiazhuang Dairy Group, which collects 3000tonnes of milk daily from 40,000 farmers. It supplies 18 per cent of China's powdered milk.
More than half of China's parents feed their babies with formula. And Sanlu advertises that its powdered milk has to pass "1100 tests".
Three years ago, 43 per cent of the company was bought by New Zealand's largest company, Fonterra, for $155million. Fonterra also has about $2billion of investments in Australia.
Fonterra sought, through its alliance with Sanlu, to ratchet up its presence in the Chinese market, where demand for dairy products was tiny until recently - but where milk production is now soaring by 25 per cent a year.
Fonterra has now issued a statement that "it is pushing hard to make sure that Sanlu is working closely with China's Government to ensure that everything that can be done is being done to protect the safety and health of consumers".
The Health Ministry has taken over many responsibilities of oversight in this area from the state food and drug administration, whose former head, Zheng Xiaoyu, was executed a year ago for taking about $1million in bribes to approve new drugs.
Gao Qiang, a senior Health Ministry official, said Sanlu first received complaints in March - and that these concerns were upheld by an internal company investigation.
But the group did not report this to the Government or the public. And it appears melamine continued to be added until last month. Mr Gao said the sick babies would receive free medical treatment from the Government.
"Those responsible for the contaminated milk will face severe punishment," said another health official, Mao Qunan.
The ruling Communist Party's propaganda department has issued a series of instructions to media as to how to handle the story. Media are warned to "strictly standardise" news sources to follow Xinhua and People's Daily reports, and to "emphasise the Government's handling of the crisis and progress, and the care given to the babies".
No one has yet indicated at which stage in the process the melamine was added - by farmers or by Sanlu itself.
Posted from theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24344804-25837,00.html