Chinese baby milk scare 'severe'

[jannyk]

Source: BBC

"The number of Chinese babies known to have fallen ill with kidney stones as a result of contaminated milk powder has risen to 432, officials have announced.

"This is a severe food safety accident," health ministry official Gao Qiang, said. Those responsible would be "severely" punished, he added.

Later, it was announced that 19 people had been arrested.

Tests showed the milk powder contained the industrial chemical melamine. One infant has died."



Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7614083.stm

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. Is that what they put in the dog food?

[kurth_]

2. Yep. Same stuff

to artificially jack up the protein content.

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. What has happened to ethical standards in the world?

Isn't it becoming apparent that we have pushed the threshold and we can no longer adequately feed the current population when we have increased evidence of poisonings?

[kurth_]

3. Chinese dairy knew milk fault weeks before recall

Chinese dairy knew milk fault weeks before recall
By JOE McDONALD – 1 hour ago

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese dairy that sold milk powder linked to kidney stones in infants and one death knew weeks before it ordered a recall that the product contained a banned chemical, the Health Ministry said Saturday.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported Saturday that the dairy, Sanlu Group Col, was ordered to stop production as the number of sick babies rose to 432.

A Health Ministry statement gave no indication why Sanlu Group Co., China's biggest milk powder producer, failed to warn consumers immediately. Employees who answered the phone Saturday at the ministry's news office and at China's product safety agency said they had no more information.

In August, Sanlu's testing revealed melamine in the milk powder, a ministry statement said. Melamine is a toxic chemical used in plastics that contaminated pet food last year.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j9TWJGihXFri_4iWWPS7iDjKrT5gD935Q0NO0

[fasttense]

4. I guess free trade doesn't work so well in China either. n/t

[madrchsod]

5. some of that milk may have made it to the usa

officials are checking chinese groceries for this milk powder.

[sendero]

6. "accident" my ass

this was intentional contamination just like with the pet food.

There will be executions over this AND THERE SHOULD BE.

[mile18blister]

7. They are equal opportunity murderers.

They'll kill their own children for profit.
They'll kill people (and pets) anywhere in the world for profit.

Gotta love that free market unregulated capitalism.

[kayell]

8. I'm so glad we're not dependent in this country on shoddy, contaminated Chinese imports.

oh, er, never mind.

:sarcasm: (is this even necessary?)

[northernlights]

9. but don't you know

it's the fault of those evil government regulators. They need to deregulate and then all their problems will magically disappear.
:sarcasm:

[Bette Noir]

11. The real question is:

How much does China resemble Britain at the end of the 19th Century? All of these reports of contaminated food, air, and water, desperate poverty juxtaposed with uncontrolled greed, seems strangely familiar. I know the word: Dickensian.

[JonQ]

12. I can't see

why anyone would buy any sort of food product, medicine, toothpaste, etc from China ever again. Pay a few more cents and significantly reduce your chance of dying.

I wish it were easier to avoid buying anything from them period, but that's not always practical.

[sakura]

16. Try buying apple juice for your kids.

At our local grocery stores, all of the brands that formerly were sourced from Washington state now read: "Product of US and China", meaning at least some of it is from China. Even the organic juice (which we now buy) is a product of Argentina. I've been to central Washington-- there are still plenty of apple trees there. Yet you can't buy Washington apple juice in mainstream grocery stores in the neighboring state. I've complained to the local manager to no avail-- they have no control over it. Sickening.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

13. "Those responsible would be 'severely' punished, he added."

My nephew spends a great deal of time in China for Apple and said the company owners responsible for the last few contamination/lead problems where killed by the government as the "punishment". :scared:

[ingac70]

14. As they should have been. n/t

[ogneopasno]

15. It's not a "scare." What a shitty headline from the BBC.

Babies have gotten sick and died. That's beyond scare to clusterfuck. Maybe that word was too long to use in the headline, though.

[bean fidhleir]

17. I try to buy NO foodstuff from China anymore. I still make a cautious exception

for long-established Hong Kong brands such as Lee Kum Kee, and Kowloon, and for things like dried pepper that it would be hard to adulterate ...but anything else? Forget it! It's just not worth the risk.

And I'm someone for whom giving up cooking Chinese food would be a real sacrifice.