Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Health Law Blogs -> Food Safety News

Health Law

: Food Safety News

China Says Most Melamine Milk Destroyed

By Dan Flynn and Suzanna Schreck

According to Chinese food safety officials, most of the 170 tons of melamine-tainted milk products, which had been repackaged and put back into commerce, have now been removed and destroyed.

"Due to early discovery and timely check, as of now, most of the tainted milk products have been recalled and destroyed, and none has entered the market or been exported," said the National Food Safety Rectification Office in a statement.

The milk products were found and destroyed as part of the country's nationwide 10-day crackdown on tainted dairy.

"In the recently reported melamine-tainted milk cases, some of the tainted milk products were apparently made of old batches of tainted milk powder slated for destruction but hoarded away instead by dairy firms and later repackaged," Chinese official media reported yesterday.

Last week, authorities closed two dairy companies in the northern region of Ningzia, seized 72 tons of the implicated milk powder, and were actively searching for the rest.

In recent weeks, officials have shut down a number of dairies and arrested executives involved in selling tainted products.

In November, the government executed two businessmen for their involvement in the 2008 melamine milk scandal, which killed six infants and sickened over 300,000.

"Some companies and individuals are still ignoring the safety and health of the mass of the population. Their hearts are full of greed, and they committed crimes," said China's Health Ministry in a statement yesterday.

Full post as published by Food Safety News on February 17, 2010 (boomark / email).