Written by
CHAN: Next we have the latest on China’s mounting toxic milk scandal. Now three infants have died and more than 6000 have fallen ill. The dairy industry has been denounced as chaotic. Here’s a closer look. STORY: Among the thousands of ill infants and three deaths, the number of children with acute kidney failure has risen to 158. Some believe that the health threat may have been concealed for more than a month before the contaminated milk was exposed and the product recalled. It may have been part of a plan to conceal the scandal until the Olympics were over. One fifth of 109 dairy producers checked batches of made products adulterated with melamine, which is banned from use in foods. It is an illegal chemical which, when added to milk, can appear to raise the protein level. It can cause kidney stones and other organ problems. Four suppliers have so far been arrested for selling melamine-laced milk to Sanlu. Sanlu was among seven dairy companies seen as safe and was excused from normal quality checks. But parents are reeling from the shock of discovering the country’s largest and most trusted brand is at the center of a food safety scandal. Many parents would prefer to feed their babies breast milk but were forced to opt for the more convenient powdered milk because most mothers have to work. China’s products have suffered repeated scandals involving toxins and other flaws in recent years, and this is not the first involving melamine. In 2007, the US government found pet …
Video Rating: 5 / 5
Many Chinese parents remain unhappy with the way their government has tackled a scandal involving Chinese-manufactured baby milk tainted with the chemical melamine. Al Jazeera’s Melissa Chan reports from Beijing on the scandal that continues to grip China.
