I am sure most of you are aware of the Melamine tainted milk crisis in China that killed many babies.. however the problem looks like it is not just contained to infant formulas.
in Malaysia, the government is recalling many products in the shelves of our hypermarts...first it was some candies, now most of the biscuits that we ate are suspected to be melamine tainted.
since many of china's produce is exported to many parts of the world, i think this issue is slowing building up to be a global famine ?? i think...
just some background to this $h%T that happened, apparently the manufacturer of the infant formula have received complained from consumer that their product make infant sick, they did nothing for approximately 7 months from December 2007 till June 2008 and then all hell brooke loose on the 30th June 2008 when they received reports of 5 infants deaths.
take a look at the chronology of events below..
Source : http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Soc/soc.culture.china/2008-09/msg00478.html
December 2007: Sanlu Group Co. receives complaints from consumers
that its infant formula was sickening babies, according to state
broadcaster China Central Television, citing findings from a State
Council investigation.
• June 2008: Sanlu learns its milk powder is contaminated with
melamine, CCTV says.
• June 30: China's product quality watchdog receives a complaint that
five infants at the Hunan province children's hospital have kidney
stones and were all fed Sanlu brand milk powder, according to data on
the Web site of China's food safety watchdog that has since been
removed.
• July 24: A pediatrician tells the watchdog he has seen nine cases of
kidney stones in infants, all of whom drank Sanlu formula. The
unidentified doctor expresses concern over the milk powder, according
to data on the watchdog Web site that has since been removed.
• Aug. 2: Sanlu alerts the government of Shijiazhuang, the northern
Chinese city where the company is based, that its infant formula is
tainted, according to CCTV. At a Sanlu board meeting, New Zealand
dairy farmers' group Fonterra, a major investor in the company, learns
about complaints of sick babies and urges an immediate recall.
• Aug. 6: Sanlu pulls baby milk powder from distributors, but does not
do a public recall.
• Aug. 8: The Beijing Olympics open and run until Aug. 24.
• Sept. 5: Fonterra informs New Zealand's Prime Minister Helen Clark
about the issue. Three days later, Clark orders New Zealand officials
to inform officials in Beijing.
• Sept. 9: Shijiazhuang city officials inform Hebei provincial
officials. A day later, Hebei provincial officials contact the central
government.
• Sept. 11: Sanlu publicly recalls 700 tons of baby formula.
Government vows "serious punishment" for those responsible. Xinhua
reports dozens of babies have kidney stones and one baby has died.
• Sept. 13: Vice Health Minister Gao Qiang says 432 babies fed Sanlu
formula have developed kidney stones. Gao blames Sanlu for delays in
warning the public and launches an inspection of all Chinese formula
companies. Hebei's vice governor says authorities have seized 2,176
tons of Sanlu formula and recalled 8,218 tons.
• Sept. 15: Number of sickened children rises to more than 1,200, with
two deaths. China's quality watchdog says contamination occurred
mainly at farms, which sell raw milk to dairy companies. Sanlu's vice
president apologizes, but does not explain the delay in informing the
public.
• Sept. 16: A nationwide inspection of 109 Chinese baby milk powder
companies uncovers 22 with traces of melamine. Sanlu General Manager
Tian Wenhua is fired and dismissed from board of directors, state
media reports.
• Sept. 17: China's two largest dairies, Mengniu Dairy Co. and Yili
Industrial Group Co., recall baby formula. Health minister says three
babies have died and more than 6,200 others have been sickened. China
deploys 5,000 inspectors to companies producing baby milk.
• Sept. 18: Authorities arrest 12 more people, bringing total detained
to 18. Police confiscate 660 pounds of suspected chemicals.
• Sept. 19: Crisis widens after government tests find melamine in
liquid milk produced by three of China's leading dairies.
· Sept. 21: Health ministry reports the number of sickened children soars to nearly 53,000, with 12,892 hospitalized and 104 in serious condition. The Chinese territory of Hong Kong reports the first known illness outside mainland China, a 3-year-old girl who developed kidney stones after drinking Chinese dairy products.
• Sept. 22: The head of China's product quality watchdog agency
resigns.
now this is just baby formulas, which have a direct impact on consumers especially babies. for 7 months between Dec 2007 and June 2008, I believe many raw ingredients for producing other dairy products already been exported out from China to the rest of the world such as raising agent ammonium bicarbonate.
beside faking nutricious value in milk, producer in China can fake almost every single edible product i believe such as faking bamboo shoot from wooden chopstick!!!
I will try to upload some pictures on how wooden chopstick is done made in bamboo shoot.
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