Fri, 09/12/2008 - 19:16
Government closes in on Sanlu Group's milk formula scandal
by Xie Sijia
Shanghai. September 12. INTERFAX-CHINA - A number of China's watchdog departments, led by the Ministry of Health, are holding emergency joint investigations into the Sanlu Group milk formula scandal that resulted in at least 59 kidney stone cases in infants, one of which was fatal, the MoH press office announced on Sept. 11.
According to the statement, the MoH had requested various provincial health departments provide reports on conditions of the infants with kidney stones before 5 p.m. Beijing time on Sept. 12. In addition, the ministry has released a treatment plan for the sick infants.
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine announced on Sept. 11 that it had conducted random checks on Sanlu-brand milk formula and is now in the process of commencing a special nationwide inspection.
Since June 28 this year, in China's northwestern Gansu Province alone, there have been 59 known kidney stone cases in infants. Similar cases have been reported in other provinces such as Shaanxi , Jiangsu, Henan and Hubei. It is usually rare for infants to develop kidney stones and many of the ill infants had consumed Sanlu-brand milk formula.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Sanlu-brand milk formula contained traces of melamine, an industrial contaminant that is unsafe for human and animal consumption. Melamine ingestion is known to cause reproductive damage as well as bladder or kidney stones.
Xinhua news agency reported that Sanlu Group confirmed on the evening of Sept. 11 following the release of the investigation results that its milk formula was contaminated. It has since ordered the recall of 700 tons of the tainted milk formula manufactured before Aug. 6, 2008.
A MoH spokesperson said that the ministry has notified the World Health Organization and will ensure that responsible parties in this scandal face the full force of the law.
The scandal has stoked public outcry and drawn widespread condemnation in China. On Sept. 12, Sanlu Group's Web site was hacked into and renamed "Sanjuqing'an Group." Sanjuqing'an is Chinese for melamine. The Web site has since been repaired.
According to Chinese-language news portal people.com.cn, Sanlu Group released a report on Sept. 12 stating that the contamination is a result of illegally-added melamine into milk by dairy farmers as a substitute for high-protein additives. Chinese police had rounded up seven to eight suspected dairy farmers for questioning as of 5 p.m. Beijing time on Sept. 12.
Hebei-based Sanlu Group is one of China's leading dairy producers and is partly owned by New Zealand dairy-export giant Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd.
