Sanlu recalls 700 tons of melamine-tainted milk powder

Southern Metropolis Daily

The Shijiazhuang-based dairy producer Sanlu announced that the company will recall 700 tons of infant feeding formula (“baby milk powder” 婴幼儿奶粉) that was produced before August 6.

In the announcement Sanlu admitted that some of the products were contaminated by melamine. Previously the company had insisted that the milk products suspected of causing kidney stones in 59 babies were fake products using the Sanlu label.

Most Chinese newspapers, including Southern Metropolis Daily, reported the news on their front pages today.

Melamine is an industrial chemical used in fertilizers and plastics production. It is not an ingredient of milk powder or normally used in food processing. The chemical is also a non-protein nitrogen which can increase protein readings during chemical analysis, which could explain why food manufacturers add the chemicals to food that is subject to testing for amounts of protein.

The newspaper article also mentions last year’s case in which products of American pet food manufacturer Menu Foods that caused deaths of cats and dogs were found to contain melamine. The article does not mention that the Menu Foods pet food contained ingredients that were imported from China.

The Chinese government has already launched an investigation into the incident and has called for a national inspection of dairy products.

According to today’s Beijing News, Sanlu brand milk powder can still be found on the shelves in the supermarkets of Beijing. The article quoted a sales person saying low-end brands like Sanlu have very low sale numbers because consumers in big cities prefer imported milk powder. This incident is likely to be a heavy blow to the reputation of the domestic brand dairy products.

However, Sanlu Group is partly owned by New Zealand dairy export giant Fonterra Cooperative Group.

The China Daily reported that Fonterra said in a press release that “its Chinese partner was moving to ensure its products were safe.”