chineese milk scandal

8/3/2019 Chineese Milk Scandal

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CHINEESE MILK SCANDAL

The 2008 Chinese milk scandal was a food safety incident in the People's Republic of

China involving milk and infant formula, and other food materials and components,

adulteratedwith melamine.

By November 2008 China reported an estimated 300,000 victims six infants dying fromkidney stones and otherkidney damage, and a further 860 babies hospitalised. The

chemical appeared to have been added to milk in order to cause it to appear to have a

higher protein content. In a separate incident four years before, watered-down milk hadresulted in 13 infant deaths from malnutrition.

The scandal broke on 16 July, after sixteen infants in Gansu Province who had been fed

on milk powder produced by Shijiazhuang-basedSanlu Group were diagnosed with

kidney stones. After the initial focus on Sanlu - market leader in the budget segment -government inspections revealed the problem existed to a lesser degree in products from

21 other companies, including Mengniu, Yili, and Yashili.

The issue raised concerns about food safety andpolitical corruption in mainland China,

and damaged the reputation of China's food exports with at least 11 countries stopping allimports of mainland Chinese dairy products. A number of arrests occurred as a result of

the scandal; the head of Sanlu, seven local government officials, as well as the Director

of the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine(AQSIQ) werefired or forced to resign in response to the incident.

The World Health Organization referred to the incident as one of the largest food safety

events it had had to deal with in recent years, and that the crisis of confidence among

Chinese consumers would be hard to overcome. A spokesman said that the scale of theproblem proved that it was "clearly not an isolated accident, [but] a large-scale

intentional activity to deceive consumers for simple, basic, short-term profits."

In late October 2008, similar adulteration with melamine was discovered in eggs and

possibly other food, traced to melamine being added to animal feeddespite a banimposed in June 2007 following the scandal over pet foodexported to the United States.

Source of contamination

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that melamine may be found "in a variety of

milk and milk products at varying levels, from lowppbto ppm ranges." One academicsuggests it may have been part of the food chain in China for a long time, ascyromazine

(a melamine derivative) is a very commonly used pesticide in China. Cyromazine isabsorbed into plants as melamine, and may therefore be present in the food chain, which

includes poultry, eggs, fish, and dairy products. It is not known where in the supply chain

the melamine was added to the milk. The chemical is not water-soluble and must bemixed with formaldehyde or another chemical before it can be dissolved in milk.
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Due to poor animal husbandry, production and storage, the demand for milk far

outstripping supplies, use of other potentially harmful chemicaladditives such as

preservativesand hydrogen peroxide has been reported by independent media as beingcommonplace. Quality tests can be falsified with additives: peroxide is added to prevent

milk going bad; industrial vegetable oil is emulsified and added to boost fat levels; whey

is used to increase lactose content. However, the procurement chain is also implicated -milk agents are often politically well connected. Farmers report that salespeople had, for

years, been visiting farms in dairy-cow areas hawking "protein powder" additive, which

would often be delivered in unmarked brown paper bags of 25 kg each. A new version of"protein powder", capable of fooling dairies as to protein content, started being peddled

approximately two years ago. Thus farmers either added melamine contaminant

unwittingly, or turned a blind eye to milk adulteration to ensure their milk was not

rejected. The big dairy producers were complicit in producing "test-tube milk."

Caijingreported that "spiking fresh milk with additives such as melamine" was no longer

a secret to Hebei dairy farmers for the past two years. Due to fierce competition for

supplies, and the higher prices paid by Mengniu and Yili, Sanlu's procurement becamesqueezed; its inspection system became compromised "as early as 2005 and allowed milkcollection stations to adopt unscrupulous business practices", while government

supervision was "practically nonexistent."

Caijingreported that the melamine in the tainted milk may have come from scrapmelamine costing 700 per tonne - less than one-tenths of the price of 99% pure

industrial grade melamine. The melamine production process produces pure melamine by

crystallisation; the melamine remaining in the mother liquoris impure (70%) and

unusable for plastics, so it is scrapped. It said that Sanlu's baby formula melamine contentwas a result of tampering by adding low cost vegetable protein (such as low grade soya

powder), and large amounts of scrap melamine as filler. Scrap melamine containsimpurities such as cyanuric acid that form more insoluble crystals than melamine alone,aggravating the problem.

Victims

On 17 September 2008, Health Minister Chen Zhu stated that tainted milk formula had

"sickened more than 6,200 children, and that more than 1,300 others, mostly newborns,

remain hospitalised with 158 suffering from acute kidney failure". By 23 September,about 54,000 children were reported to be sick and 4 had died. An additional 10,000

cases were reported from the provinces by 26 September. A World Health Organisation

official said 82 percent of the children made ill were 2 years of age or below. The HongKong Centre for Food Safety said that 99% of victims were aged under 3 years. TenHong Kong children were diagnosed with kidney problems, at least four cases were

detected in Macau, and six in Taiwan. Non-human casualties included a lion cub and two

baby orangutans which had been fed Sanlu milk powder at Hangzhou Zoo.

The government said on 8 October it would no longer issue updated figures "because it is

not an infectious disease, so it's not absolutely necessary for us to announce it to the
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public." Reuters compiled figures reported by local media across the country, and said the

toll stood at nearly 94,000 at the end of September, excluding municipalities. Notably,

13,459 children had been affected in Gansu, Reuters quoted Xinhua saying. Henan hadreported over 30,000 cases, and Hebei also had nearly 16,000 cases.

In late October, the government announced that health officials had surveyed 300,000Beijing families with children of less than 3 years of age. It disclosed that approximately

74,000 families had a child who had been fed melamine-tainted milk, but did not revealhow many of those children had fallen ill as a result.

Due to the many months before the scandal was exposed, media suggests that official

figures are likely to be understated. Kidney stones in infants started being reported in

several parts of China in the past two years. A number of yet to be officiallyacknowledged cases were reported on by the media. However, those deaths without an

official verdict may be denied compensation. On 1 December, Xinhua reported that the

Ministry of Health revised the number of victims to more than 290,000 and 51,900

hospitalised; authorities acknowledged receiving reports of 11 suspected deaths frommelamine contaminated milk powder from provinces, but officially confirmed 3 deaths.

On characterisation and treatment of urinary stones in affected infants, the New England

Journal of Medicine printed an editorial in March 2009, along with reports on cases fromBeijing, Hong Kong and Taipei.

Urinary calculi specimens were collected from 15 cases treated in Beijing and were

analysed as unknown objects for their components at Beijing Institute of Microchemistry

using infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and high performance liquidchromatography. The result of the analysis showed that the calculus was composed of

melamine and uric acid, and the molecular ratio of uric acid to melamine was around 2:1.

In a study published in 2010, researchers from Peking University studying ultrasoundimages of infants who fell ill in the 2008 contamination found that while most children in

a rural Chinese area recovered, 12 per cent still showed kidney abnormalities six months

later. "The potential for long-term complications after exposure to melamine remains a

serious concern," the report said. "Our results suggest a need for further follow-up ofaffected children to evaluate the possible long-term impact on health, including renal

function.

Response

International agencies

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) warned that children who ate large amountsof confectionery and biscuits with high milk content could theoretically be consuming

melamine at more than three times above prescribed EU safety limits (0.5 mg/kg of body

weight). The EFSA said that children with a mean consumption of products such as milk
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toffee, biscuits and chocolate containing contaminated milk powder would not be at risk,

and that adults would not be at risk even in the worst case scenarios.

The World Health Organization, which was only notified on 11 September, asked Beijingwhy it took so many months for the scandal to become public, and to establish whether

failure was deliberate or due to ignorance. WHO's representative in China, HansTroedsson, said the issue of who knew what and when was critical "...Because if it was

ignorance, there is a need to have much better training and education ... if it is neglect,then it is, of course, more serious."

Following a spate of mass national bans, the WHO urged national food safety authorities

on 25 September 2008 to test Chinese dairy products for health risks before slapping on

import bans or recalls. WHO and UNICEF also jointly decried the "particularlydeplorable... deliberate contamination of foods intended for... vulnerable infants and

young children" On 26 September, the WHO warned health officials around the world to

be alert for dairy products of Chinese origin that could be tainted. Anthony Hazzard, the

Western Pacific director of the World Health Organization said countries had beenadvised by the International Food Safety Authorities (INFOSAN) to focus particularly on

smuggled formula.

The WHO referred to the incident as one of the largest food safety events it has had todeal with in recent years. It says the crisis of confidence among Chinese consumers

would be hard to overcome. It saw regulation failing to keep pace with the rapid

development of the food and industrial production as opening the gates to all types ofmisbehaviour and malfeasance. The spokesman said that the scale of the problem proved

that it was "clearly not an isolated accident, [but] a large-scale intentional activity to

deceive consumers for simple, basic, short-term profits."

WHO Director-GeneralMargaret Chan reminded Chinese mothers that babies notbreastfed were being deprived of the best nutrition offered by nature, while risking being

exposed to the effects of melamine. She added: "We need to try our very best to tell

[mothers] the difference [between breast milk and formula]. Of course breastfeeding isthe best food for babies." Chan said the melamine-in-milk scandal showed "the impact

and power of globalisation" in food distribution and highlighted "the importance of

seamless cooperation from farm to consumer."

Chinese public

Anger at Sanlu

The case has brought anger and resentment at milk producers, and has sown uncertaintyand confusion among the population: queues have formed outside Sanlu's offices for

refunds. The Sanlu website was hackedseveral times and its name as displayed in the

header bar changed to ("The Melamine Group") in a play of words on thecharacter "" (number 3), which is the first word of Sanlu's Chinese name: (ThreeDeer); "Melamine" was also added as a product name by a hacker. As has been
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increasingly common practice, web users have vented their anger onInternet bulletin

boards. Prevalent food scares have increased the number of on-line parodies circulated by

netizens. Those inspired by Sanlu have been along themes ofpassing the buck, stones, orthe virtues of not being able to urinate. Celebrities who have endorsed dairy products

have also been mocked inphotoshoppedimages.

Before the government offered free medical treatment, some parents had reportedly spent

small fortunes on medical care for their sick children. Children who fell ill before thescandal broke on 12 September are not entitled to free medical care offered by the State.

Parents of at least two such victims, one from Henan and one from Guangdong, have

filed writs against Sanlu despite government pressure. Parents of the Henan child haveclaimed 150,000 for medical, travel and other expenses incurred after their child

developed kidney stones. On 20 October, the parents of one baby who died from

contaminated milk appealed to New Zealand for justice on TV ONE. They were quotedas saying the perpetrators of the milk scandal responsible for the death of their child

deserved to "die a thousand deaths". A total of nine cases were filed against Sanlu in

Shijiazhuang. Following weeks of discussions, and in the absence of a compensationplan, a group of 15 lawyers have filed a collective suit on behalf of 100 families againstSanlu, seeking medical and other expenses as well as compensation for trauma and for

death of offspring.

[edit] Anger at political leaders

There is growing resentment that country's leaders are not troubled by the food securityturmoil faced by ordinary citizens: in a speech delivered by Zhu Yonglan (),Director of the State Council Central Government Offices Special Food Supply Centre

(CGOSFSC) in August 2008, Zhu disclosed that her firm which was set up in 2004 to

source high-quality, all-organic foodstuffs from farms working under the strictestguidelines, for supply to top political leaders, their families and retired cadres.

"The State Council Party and State Organisations Special Food Supply Centre... is supported by the State

Council Logistics Base, Central Security Bureau farms, and supply bases spread over all 13 provinces,

municipalities... and autonomous regions. These bases supply the 94 ministries and commissions veteran

cadres with high quality organic food products... [Our] products accord with the highest standards."

...Everyone knows that at present average production facilities use large quantities of chemical fertilizers

and pesticides. Antibiotics and hormones are used in the raising of animals. Aquatic animal products areraised in polluted waters. All of these toxins end up in the final food products (all kinds of produce, meat,

dairy products etc.). It goes without saying that these are harmful when consumed by humans."

Zhu Yonglan, Director of the CGOSFSC - speech to Shandong KR Biomedical, 18 August 2008

Ordinary Chinese are asking whether the government ever intends to do more than just

apologise, after Premier Wen Jiabao apologised, saying he felt "extremely guilty" about

the poisoned milk products, just as he had previously asked the people's pardon for thedeaths of coal miners, the polluted drinking water, and train passengers stranded by the

authorities' inadequate response to the severe snowstorm during the New Year.
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Author Qin Geng () said:"The big picture in this case was the interest of one-partyrule above anything, not that they would put the safety of the people first". Qin concluded

what the Chinese public were told by the state-controlled media the contamination of

milk is a well orchestrated process, and they are "very sad, very frightened and veryconcerned."

Quest for milk substitutes

Poorer consumers reliant on local milk powder, which is approximately half the price of

imported brands, have been left without alternatives to feed their children. Many havenow lost faith in local brands, and others are uncertain which brands are safe.

Supermarket shelves have been swept bare from product recalls. Shops in Hong Kong

have reported a rush for imported formula from cross-border shoppers, and some retailersare reportedly rationing their stocks. Mainlanders have also been rushing to import milk

powder from Kinmen. Wet nurses are enjoying a resurgence in popularity in major cities.

New Zealand media reported Chinese sailors and expatriates have been buying local

dairy produce for sending back to relatives in China.

Contamination and response in 2009-2010

On 2 December 2009, China detained three employees of Shaanxi Jinqiao Dairy

Company in northwest China suspected of selling 5.25 tons of melamine-laced milk

powder to Nanning Yueqian Food Additive Company, in Guangxi. On 30 December2009, Xinhua reported continuing problems: powder and flavouring products sold by

another company involved in the original scandalthe Shanghai Panda Dairy Company

were found to contain illegal levels of melamine; the dairy was closed and three of itsexecutives arrested. On 25 January 2010, it was reported that three food companies from

Hebei, Liaoning and Shandong provinces had produced melamine tainted products inMarch and April 2009 and that the three companies were banned from selling products inGuizhou province. On 10 February 2010 China's state council announced a food safety

commission, consisting of three vice premiers and a dozen minister-level officials, to

address the nation's food regulatory problems. The group aims to improve government

coordination and enforcement and to solve systemic food safety problems. As part of itsongoing effort to find and destroy any melamine-tainted milk remaining on the market,

the Chinese government announced Monday that it was recalling 170 tons of milk

powder laced with the industrial chemical which was supposed to have been destroyed orburied in 2008 but has recently found to have been repackaged and placed back into the

marketplace
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