Chinese baby formula contamination

[Van]

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China launches nationwide baby formula probe
Friday, September 12, 2008 12:40 AM EDT
The Associated Press
By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer


BEIJING (AP) — China's Health Ministry on Friday ordered a nationwide probe of milk powder linked to a rash of kidney stones in infants and one death and said those responsible "will face serious punishment."

The announcement this week that infants were sickened by the milk powder fueled new worries about Chinese product safety after a spate of injuries and deaths blamed on tainted toothpaste and other goods.

Local officials were ordered to report all possible cases of illness in infants linked to the powder and to arrange emergency treatment, the ministry said in a statement.

Im posting this because they did say that there is a concern that the product may have gotten into the states illegaly. Having done a fair amount of shopping at specialty stores for Chinese and other Asian regional foods its easy to get things that you wouldnt find on the shelfs at any other specialty shop.

 

[snathanb]

Are you trying to be the new "Bob Haller"? Seems like all you do lately is troll the internet looking for negative stories and them repost them here.

 

[Van]

Ignore works wonders you should try it if you have a problem with three threads that I've put up.

 

[yourbeliefs]

Stuff like this is actually nice to know, or rather that someone would post such stories. My girlfriend shops regularly at an Asian supermarket and a lot of their stuff is imported, so if there's any issues with food stuff I'd like to know. I'd like to think that this particular story does not apply to her, or else she has a LOT of explaining to do.. ;p

 

[Van]

To add further to the story the Chinese goverment is inspecting every dairy farm.

 

[yourbeliefs]

To add further to the story the Chinese goverment is inspecting every dairy farm.

EVERY dairy farm in China? What a fun task to be put in charge of.

 

[Van]

Yea no kidding but I think that the goverment is starting to see that if they dont take a heavy hand to the problems that have been plauging their exports and domestic products as well as the factories and other industries that they could stand to loose what foothold they have in the world economy. Its one thing for them to make a crappy pair of Fisk scissors but another to have food and hygiene products that are killing people and children and if it continues they could really be trouble economicly.

 

[Paul Wozniak]

Thanks Van, we switched our 11mo. old to milk when this story broke. She only had one mo. to go on formula anyhow, but we didn't want to take any chances. I apologize for the guy who wrote #2. Of course you already know most of us appreciate this kind of info. THANK YOU.

 

[Derwin0]

Makes me glad my younger never touched formula in his life.
He's a breast man, just like his daddy.

 

[Van]

Its getting alot worse, read below.

6,200 Chinese babies ill, 3 die from tainted milk
Wednesday, September 17, 2008 2:34 PM EDT
The Associated Press
By TINI TRAN Associated Press Writer


BEIJING (AP) — The government was dispatching thousands of inspectors to monitor producers as officials reported Wednesday that the number of babies sick from tainted milk formula had climbed dramatically to nearly 6,200 from 1,200 a day earlier.

At least three children have died and more than 1,300 others, mostly newborns, remain hospitalized with dozens suffering from acute kidney failure.

Health Minister Chen Zhu said he expected the numbers of affected babies to increase as "more and more parents take kids to the hospital."

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[Van]

Theres really alot more information in this latest article that should shake us all up enough to demand that we stop importing so much from this country including this paragraph.

"It is also the second major case in recent years involving baby formula. In 2004, more than 200 Chinese infants suffered malnutrition and at least 12 died after being fed phony formula that contained no nutrients."

and this one

"Suppliers to the dairy companies are believed to have added the banned chemical, normally used in plastics, to watered-down milk to make it appear higher in protein. Inspectors will now start testing for melamine in all dairy products, Li said."

If the companies have no concern for the welfare of their own countries children then its obvious that they have no compassion for the rest of the world's kids and if lead contamination of toys wasnt a wake up call then this should be.

 

[Derwin0]

Do we even import formula into the states? I think all our milk supply is domestically supplied.

 

[Van]

Its all domestic but there is concern that some of it has been brought over and is being sold in ethnic foods markets.

 

[Van]

Further contamination found, read below.

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Tests find chemical also in liquid milk in China
Friday, September 19, 2008 2:13 PM EDT
The Associated Press
By TINI TRAN Associated Press Writer


BEIJING (AP) — China's tainted milk crisis widened Friday after tests found the industrial chemical melamine in liquid milk produced by three of the country's leading dairy companies, the quality watchdog said.

Singapore suspended the sale and import of all Chinese milk and dairy products because several tested items were contaminated.

The chief financial officer of one of the companies, Mengniu, sipped from a carton of milk at a news conference and said that only a small portion of the company's inventory had been affected.

Tainted baby formula has been blamed for killing four infants and sickening 6,200 in China since the scandal broke last week. Some 1,300 babies, mostly newborns, are currently in hospitals and 158 of them are suffering from acute kidney failure. Thousands of parents across the country were bringing their children to hospitals for health checks.

 

[Van]

And another contamination story involving furniture.

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French retailer in hot seat over Chinese chairs
Friday, September 19, 2008 2:54 PM EDT
The Associated Press
By JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press Writer


PARIS (AP) — After tainted baby milk, now toxic chairs from China.

Customers in France who bought Chinese-made recliners are complaining of stinging allergic rashes and infections.

One customer, Caroline Morin, said Friday she was stunned to learn the chair she bought last December appears to have caused the skin problems she says she suffered for months.

"You sit comfortably on something and in fact you have a bomb under your butt," she said.

The French distributor, Conforama, warned clients in July that some of the chairs and sofas presented an allergy risk "in rare cases." It has withdrawn them from sale and now says the health problems were linked to an anti-fungal chemical in the chairs.

The affair gained attention this week following French media reports exposing problems suffered by people who bought the chairs.

One was Dolores Ennrich, who says that because of long-term illness she spent a lot of time sitting in the recliner she purchased in March 2007.

She says she suffered painful eczema and skin infections on her left thigh, back and left arm that put her in a hospital for 12 days and led doctors to prescribe repeated courses of antibiotics.

 

[Van]

Latest update on the formula contamination.

Heres the latest update and the numbers wich is staggering.

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China's food safety chief quits over tainted milk
Monday, September 22, 2008 9:24 AM EDT
The Associated Press
By ANITA CHANG Associated Press Writer


BEIJING (AP) — The head of the Chinese agency that monitors food and product safety has resigned, state media announced Monday, pushed out by a scandal over tainted baby formula that killed four babies and sickened nearly 53,000.

Beijing authorities also said that China's biggest producer of powdered milk had known for months that its baby formula was tainted with the industrial chemical melamine. There were complaints about infant formula sold by the Sanlu Group Co. as early as December, 2007, China Central Television reported, citing an investigation by the State Council, China's Cabinet.

"During these eight months, the company did not inform the government and did not take proper measures, therefore making the situation worse," CCTV said.

 

[Van]

Further developments with the contamination include countries throughout all of Asia banning imports of Chinese milk products as well as one or more in Africa and now Brittain after found tainted candies there. If anyone hasnt heard the Chinese food safety minister has resigned over all of this but there hasnt been any news yet about charges or arrests so far.

 

[Van]

Official news and updated country list

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Tainted milk fears spread to Britain, New Zealand
Wednesday, September 24, 2008 3:12 PM EDT
The Associated Press
By GILLIAN WONG Associated Press Writer


BEIJING (AP) — The British supermarket chain Tesco pulled a Chinese candy from its shelves and New Zealand said Wednesday it found dangerously high levels of the industrial chemical melamine in the same brand, as fears over tainted milk spread beyond Asia.

More than 54,000 Chinese babies have been sickened after drinking formula made with tainted milk and four have died. More than a dozen countries have banned or recalled Chinese dairy products — the latest was France which does not import Chinese dairy products but has halted imports of Chinese biscuits, candy or other foods that could contain Chinese dairy derivatives.

The government described the measure as a precaution.

Indonesia on Wednesday also distributed a list of 28 products that it said may contain tainted Chinese milk, including Oreo cookies, Snickers bars and M&M chocolate candies.

Worries that compromised ingredients may have contaminated other foods like yogurt, cookies and candies have led several more countries, from Canada to Australia, to step up testing of Chinese imports. The Chinese government seized control of the dairy at the center of the tainted milk, which reportedly received complaints about its infant formula as early as December 2007.

 

[Van]

Further updates

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China's tainted milk problem hits Japanese company
Friday, September 26, 2008 11:24 AM EDT
The Associated Press
By ANITA CHANG Associated Press Writer


BEIJING (AP) — China's scandal over milk and other foods tainted with melamine spread Friday as Japan and Hong Kong said they detected the industrial chemical in Chinese-made products. Taiwan reported three young children with kidney stones in the island's first cases possibly linked to the crisis.

Powdered baby formula laced with the banned industrial chemical melamine has been blamed in the illnesses of some 54,000 children and the deaths of four infants in China. But the World Health Organization said it did not expect the number of victims to grow dramatically.

 

[Van]

Its now official that its in our country

What bothers me is that Ive been watching the news for this and the article states that the contamination was found a few days before the Conneticut discovery in California. It seems like this has fallen back as a news story to be replaced by other news stories when it really is important because of how easily kids can get candy without a parent.


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Candy with chemical in Chinese milk found in Conn.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008 6:44 PM EDT
The Associated Press
By LARRY SMITH


HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — An industrial chemical blamed for sickening thousands of infants in China was found in candy in four Connecticut stores this week, a state official said Wednesday.

Days after contaminated White Rabbit Creamy Candy was found in California, Connecticut Consumer Protection Commissioner Jerry Farrell Jr. said tests found melamine in bags of the candy sold at two New Haven stores, a West Hartford market and an East Haven store.

"We're concerned, obviously, there may have been bags sold of these before we got to them," Farrell said.

Anyone who has the candy should destroy it, Farrell said.