Melamine
Melamine is used to manufacture melamine-formaldehyde resin, a type of plastic known for its flame-retardant properties and commonly employed in countertops, dry-erase boards, etc. Melamine itself is nitrogen-rich and is sometimes illegally added to food products to increase their apparent protein content. It has also been employed as a nonprotein nitrogen, appearing in soy meal, corn gluten meal and cottonseed meal used in cattle feed.[12] Melamine is known to cause renal and urinary problems in humans and animals when it reacts with cyanuric acid inside the body,[13][14] sometimes present in drinking water and in animal feed,[15] so its use in food production is universally banned.[16]
The Kjeldahl and Dumas methods used to test for protein levels fail to distinguish between nitrogen in melamine and naturally occurring in amino acids, allowing the protein levels to be falsified. Introduced into milk, it can help conceal fraudulent dilution with water.[13] Melamine adulteration of food products also made headlines when pet food was recalled in Europe and the U.S. in 2007.
Source of contamination
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said melamine may be found "in a variety of milk and milk products at varying levels, from low ppb to ppm ranges."[17] One academic suggested cyromazine, a melamine derivative pesticide commonly used in China for a long time, is absorbed into plants as melamine; it may therefore have long been present in products such as poultry, eggs, fish, and dairy products.[18][19] It is not known where in the supply chain the melamine was added to the milk. The chemical is not water-soluble, and must be mixed with formaldehyde or another chemical before it can be dissolved in milk.[20]
Due to poor animal husbandry, production and storage and the demand for milk far outstripping supplies, the use of other potentially harmful chemical additives such as preservatives and hydrogen peroxide has been reported by independent media as being commonplace. Quality tests can be falsified with additives: peroxide is added to prevent milk going bad; industrial vegetable oil is emulsifiedand added to boost fat levels; whey is used to increase lactose content.[21][22] However, the procurement chain is also implicated, as milk agents are often politically well-connected.[21] Farmers report salespeople had, for years, been visiting farms in dairy areas hawking "protein powder" additives, which would often be delivered in unmarked brown paper bags of 25 kilograms (55 lb) each. A new version of "protein powder", capable of fooling dairies as to protein content, started being peddled approximately two years ago.[clarification needed] Thus, farmers either added melamine contaminant unwittingly, or turned a blind eye to milk adulteration to ensure their milk was not rejected.[22] The big dairy producers were complicit in producing "test-tube milk."[21]
Caijing reported "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 became squeezed; its inspection system became compromised "as early as 2005 and allowed milk collection stations to adopt unscrupulous business practices", while government supervision was "practically nonexistent."[23]
Caijing also reported the melamine in the tainted milk may have come from scrap melamine costing ¥700 per tonne—less than one-tenth of the price of 99% pure industrial grade melamine. The melamine production process produces pure melamine by crystallisation; the melamine remaining in the mother liquor is impure (70%) and unusable for plastics, so it is scrapped. It said Sanlu's baby formula melamine content was a result of tampering by adding low-cost vegetable protein (such as low-grade soya powder), and large amounts of scrap melamine as filler.[cj 1][24] Scrap melamine contains impurities 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 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".[25] By 23 September, about 54,000 children were reported to be sick and four had died.[26] An additional 10,000 cases were reported from the provinces by 27 September.[27] A World Health Organisation official said 82% of the children made ill were 2 years of age or below.[28] The Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety said that 99 percent of the victims were aged under 3 years.[29] Ten Hong Kong children were diagnosed with kidney problems,[30] at least four cases were detected in Macau,[31] and six in Taiwan.[32] Non-human casualties included a lion cub and two baby orangutans which had been fed Sanlu milk powder at Hangzhou Zoo.[33]
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 public."[34] 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 had reported over 30,000 cases, and Hebei also had nearly 16,000 cases.[35]
In late October, the government announced health officials had surveyed 300,000 Beijing families with children less than 3 yearsold. It disclosed approximately 74,000 families had a child who had been fed melamine-tainted milk, but did not reveal how many of those children had fallen ill as a result.[36]
Due to the many months before the scandal was exposed, the media suggest the 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-officially-acknowledged cases were reported by the media. However, those deaths without an official verdict may be denied compensation.[37] On 1 December, Xinhua reported that the Ministry of Health revised the number of victims to more than 290,000 with 51,900 hospitalised; authorities acknowledged receiving reports of 11 suspected deaths from melamine contaminated milk powder from provinces, but officially confirmed three deaths.[38]
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 from Beijing, Hong Kong and Taipei.[39]
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 liquid chromatography. The result of the analyses showed the calculi were composed of melamine and uric acid, and the molecular ratio of uric acid to melamine was around 2:1.[40]
In a study published in 2010, researchers from Peking University studying ultrasound images of infants who fell ill in the 2008 contamination found while most children in a rural Chinese area recovered, 12 percent 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 of affected children to evaluate the possible long-term impact on health, including renal function."[41]
Companies
Contaminated products found in the China AQSIS tests include baby milk powder products produced by the following companies, in order of highest concentration found. Shijiazhuang Sanlu Group, Shanghai Panda Dairy, Qingdao Shengyuan Dairy, Shanxi Gu Cheng Dairy, Jiangxi Guangming Yingxiong Dairy, Baoji Huimin Dairy, Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy, Torador Dairy Industry (Tianjin), Guangdong Yashili Group, Hunan Peiyi Dairy, Heilongjiang Qilin Dairy, Shanxi Yashili Dairy, Shenzhen Jinbishi Milk, Scient (Guangzhou) Infant Nutrition, Guangzhou Jinding Dairy Products Factory, Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group, Yantai Ausmeadow Nutriment, Qingdao Suncare Nutritional Technology, Xi'an Baiyue Dairy, Yantai Leilei Dairy, Shanghai Baoanli Dairy, and Fuding Chenguan Dairy.[42]
Sanlu[edit]
The scandal began with revelations of contamination of Sanlu milk products. The New Zealand dairy cooperative Fonterra, which owned a 43% stake in Sanlu, said they were alerted to melamine contamination on 2 August (almost a month before the issue became public), and have said to have pushed hard for a full public recall. Although there was an immediate trade recall, Fonterra said that local administrators refused an official recall.[43]
Warning signs ignored
An agent from Shaanxi Jinqiao Dairy Company in northwest China reportedly publicly discussed his fears about unauthorised substances being added to competitors' milk. His complaints to regulators and dairy makers in 2005 and 2006 never yielded any result; his story was picked up by China Central Television, who ran a report complete with footage of adulteration in progress, yet the Shaanxi Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau said they failed to find evidence of wrongdoing.[22]
The bulletin board of the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) indicated a rare occurrence of kidney stones in children–all causally traced to Sanlu milk formula–was flagged by at least one member of the public in June 2008[44][45] and by a urologist in a paediatric hospital on 24 July 2008. Neither received definitive replies. The paediatrician, who specifically asked the AQSIQ to refer his observations to epidemiologists, was asked to refer his query to the health department.[44][46]
In June, Jiangsu media reported a two-month surge in the number of babies diagnosed with kidney disease; in July, a parent of a sick baby in Hunan questioned Sanlu's milk powder and complained to the AQSIQ. Gansu Province sent a report to the Ministry of Health on 16 July to alert that one local hospital had identified an increase in the incidence of kidney ailments among babies in the months earlier, and that most victims had consumed Sanlu's baby formula. The health ministry sent investigators to Gansu in early August.[23]
Cover-up allegations
Fonterra notified the New Zealand government on 5 September and three days later, the Prime Minister Helen Clark had Beijing officials alerted directly.[43][47] News reports began circulating in China on 9 September,[48] the news broke internationally a day later by Reuters.[49] The state-controlled media report did not initially identify the company involved, postings on Tianya.cn, a Chinese social portal, named Sanlu as the culprit.[50] Sanlu initially denied the allegations.
A State Council investigation revealed Sanlu began receiving complaints about sick infants as far back as December 2007, but did no tests until June 2008. It said leading government officials in Shijiazhuang city had failed to report the contamination to provincial and state authorities (until 9 September) in violation of rules on reporting major incidents involving food safety.[51] According to thePeople's Daily, Sanlu wrote a letter to Shijiazhuang city government on 2 August 2008, asking for help to "increase control and coordination of the media, to create a good environment for the recall of the company's problem products ... to avoid whipping up the issue and creating a negative influence in society."[52]
According to accounts confirmed by media reports and health officials, the company tried to buy off critics and cover up the contamination. In a memo dated 11 August, Beijing-based public relations agency Teller International advised Sanlu to seek cooperation with major search engines to censor negative information. The agency reportedly had repeatedly contacted key account staff at Baidu and proposed a ¥3 million (US$440,000) budget to screen all negative news.[53][54] After the memo began circulating on the internet, Baidu denounced, in a communiqué on 13 September 2008, the approaches by said agency on several occasions, saying the proposal was firmly rejected, as it violated their corporate principles of unbiased and transparent reporting.[54]
Helen Clark said of the local government: "I think the first inclination was to try and put a towel over it and deal with it without an official recall."[55] Western media speculated China's desire for a perfectsummer Olympics contributed to the delayed recall of the baby milk, citing a guideline allegedly issued to Chinese media that reporting food safety issues, such as cancer-causing mineral water, was "off-limits"[55][56][57] although the Central government denied issuing this guidance.[43] Hebei provincial vice-governor said his administration was only notified by Shijiazhuang on 8 September.[58] However, a journalist at Southern Weekend wrote an investigative report in late July for publication about infants who had fallen ill after consuming milk powder from Sanlu. Six weeks later, senior editor Fu Jianfeng revealed on his personal blog that this report had been suppressed by authorities, due to the imminent Beijing Olympics.[59] While this was happening, Sanlu was honoured in a national award campaign called "30 Years: Brands that Have Changed the Lives of Chinese." The press release on the award, written by a senior public relations manager at Sanlu, passed as news content on People's Daily and in other media.[59]
Sanctions
On 15 September, the company issued a public apology for the contaminated milk powder;[60] Sanlu was ordered to halt production, and to destroy all unsold and recalled products. Authorities reportedly seized 2,176 tons of milk powder in Sanlu's warehouses. An estimated 9,000 tons of product had been recalled.[61]
Tian Wenhua, Chairwoman and General Manager of Sanlu and Secretary of the Sanlu Communist Party chapter was stripped of her party and functional posts during an extraordinary meeting of the Hebei provincial standing committee of the CCP;[62] four Shijiazhuang officials, including vice mayor in charge of food and agriculture, Zhang Fawang, were reportedly removed from office.[63] Shijiazhuang Mayor Ji Chuntang resigned on 17 September.[64] Li Changjiang, minister in charge of the AQSIQ, was forced to resign on 22 September after the State Council inquest concluded he was responsible for the "negligence in supervision". Investigators also blamed the Shijiazhuang government.[65] Local Party Secretary Wu Xianguo was fired on the same day.[66]
Arrests
Sanlu GM Tian was charged under Articles 144 and 150 of the criminal code.[67] A spokesman for the Hebei Provincial Public Security Department said police had arrested 12 milk dealers and suppliers who allegedly sold contaminated milk to Sanlu, and six people were charged with selling melamine. Three hundred kg of suspicious chemicals, including 223 kg of melamine, were confiscated.[68] Among those arrested were two brothers who ran a milk collection centre in Hebei for allegedly supplying three tonnes of adulterated milk daily to the dairy;[69] the owner of another collection centre which resold seven tons of milk a day to Sanlu, was arrested, and his operation was shut down.[20]
Zhang Yujun (alias Zhang Haitao), a former dairy farmer from Hebei, produced more than 600 tons of a "protein powder" mixture of melamine and maltodextrin from September 2007 to August 2008. He and eight other traders, dairy farm owners and milk purchasers who bought the powder from him were arrested in early October, bringing the total to 36.[70]
During the week of 22 December 2008, 17 people involved in producing, selling, buying and adding melamine in raw milk went on trial. Tian Wenhua, former Sanlu general manager, and three other company executives appeared in court in Shijiazhuang, charged with producing and selling milk contaminated with melamine. According to Xinhua, Tian pleaded guilty, and told the court she learned about the tainted milk complaints from consumers in mid-May. She then apparently headed a working team to handle the case, but did not report to the Shijiazhuang city government until 2 August.[71]
The Intermediate People's Court in Shijiazhuang sentenced Zhang Yujun and Geng Jinping to death, and Tian Wenhua to life in prison, on 22 January 2009.[72] Zhang was convicted for producing 800 tons of the contaminated powder, Geng for producing and selling toxic food. Geng Jinping managed a milk production center which supplied milk to Sanlu Group and other dairies.[73] The China Dailyreported Geng had knelt on the courtroom floor and begged the victim's families for forgiveness during the trial. The court also sentenced Sanlu deputy general managers Wang Yuliang and Hang Zhiqi to fifteen years and eight years in jail, respectively, and former manager Wu Jusheng to five years.[74] Several defendants have appealed.[75]
Zhang Yujun and Geng Jinping were executed on 24 November 2009.[76]
Effect on the company
The value of the company plunged as a result of the scandal.[77] On 24 September, Fonterra announced it had written down the carrying value of its investment by NZ$139 million (two-thirds), reflecting the costs of product recall and the impairment of the 'Sanlu' brand because of the "criminal contamination of milk".[78] By 27 September, China Daily reported Sanlu was close to bankruptcy, and might be taken over by the Beijing Sanyuan Foods Company.[79] The company is also facing lawsuits from parents (see Anger at Sanlu).
The Beijing Review said Sanlu expects to have to pay compensation claims totaling ¥700 million, and it became clear the company would be broken up and sold.[80]
On 25 December, Shijiazhuang court accepted a creditor's bankruptcy petition against Sanlu. Media commentators expected the Sanlu distribution network to be sold.[81]
Chinese majors
On 16 September, the AQSIQ released test of samples from 491 batches of products sold by all 109 companies producing baby milk powder. It said all 11 samples from Sanlu failed the melamine test.[5][63]Sanlu, whose products sell at half the price of equivalents on the market,[82] recorded the highest levels of contamination among all the samples tested, at 2,563 mg/kg or parts per million ("ppm"). Tainted samples were found among 21 other suppliers, where concentrations ranged from 0.09 to 619.00 ppm.[5][83]
There was melamine contamination in 10% of liquid milk samples from Mengniu and Yili, and 6% of those from Bright Dairy.[84] On discovery of contamination, the three major producers were all stripped of their status as 'Chinese national brands'.[85] Yili, Mengniu and Bright Dairy & Food Co. recalled tainted milk powders and apologised in separate statements.[82] Mengniu recalled all its baby formula, and trading in its shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange was suspended on 17 September.[86] Shares in other dairy companies fell strongly the next day.[87] Mengniu's CFO attempted to reassure consumers by offering a no-quibble refund on all products, and by drinking liquid milk in front of reporters in Hong Kong. He also said that its export products were less likely to be contaminated.[88]
On 30 September, the AQSIQ announced test results of a further 265 batches of milk powder produced by 154 different companies prior to 14 September, where it found 31 batches produced by 20 domestic dairy companies were tainted with melamine.[89]
On 1 December, China's Ministry of Health issued an update, saying nearly 300,000 babies were sickened after consuming melamine-contaminated milk powder. In response to the surge of contaminated Chinese products, the United States Food and Drug Administration opened its first overseas inspection offices in November 2008, with bureaus in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.[90]
Trade and industry impact
Chinese industry
The State Council ordered the testing of product of all dairy producers, and to this end, some 5,000 inspectors were dispatched. The Chinese market has grown at an average annual rate of 23% since 2000. In 2006, milk production reached 30 million tons, ten times the volume of a decade before.[91] It was valued at some ¥122 billion (US$18 billion) in 2007, and consumers had severely lost confidence in the industry.[92]
The events have exposed the often-incestuous relationship between local business and local government. In addition to the tax revenues to local authorities—Sanlu contributed ¥330 million in 2007, many companies invite local officials to become "silent partners" in their corporations—in return for "protection" at the political level; former Sanlu chairman Tian Wenhua, was made honorary deputy to the Provincial People's Congress.[93] The scandal has also highlighted structural problems of inadequate production volume, inherent quality issues, and poor production methods. The Inner Mongolia region produces over one-fourth of China's milk,[94] and Mengniu and Yili have invested millions to establish state-of-the-art dairy facilities in its capital, Hohhot. The companies still rely on small-scale farmers for over 90% of their production because of the capacity constraint of the modern facilities.[95] Both companies were said by farmers and agents to have habitually purchased milk which failed quality tests, for only two-thirds the normal price. A new policy was put in place on 17 September to stop that practice.[94]
Consumer panic resulting from the contaminated milk lessened demand for dairy products, causing hardship to more than 2 million Chinese farmers who had nowhere to sell their milk and no means by which to support their dairy cows. Farmers reportedly poured away milk and faced selling cows to a buyerless market.[96]
Since the scandal erupted, sales have fallen by 30–40% on a comparative basis, according to the Chinese Dairy Association. The Association estimates the financial effect of the order of ¥20 billion, and forecasts that confidence may take up to two years to be fully restored.[nF 1] In an effort to prop up sales and retain their market share, dairy firms have cancelled their common accord not to use promotions to fight the sales decline: substantial discounts (including BOGOF), free gifts and other point of sale incentives were being offered to shoppers. Their new products are conspicuously labelled "safety inspection passed" to allay consumer fears.[nF 2]
Foreign operations in China
Mengniu-Arla, joint-venture between Danish/Swedish co-operative Arla Foods and Mengniu[97][98] halted production on 16 September 2008 after three of 28 tests taken from Mengniu showed traces of melamine; the contaminated batches had been recalled.[99]
Mengniu, milk supplier to Starbucks, was replaced by Vitasoy when the coffee retailer eschewed milk in favour of soya milk in its China operations. KFC also suspended selling Mengniu milk.[100]
Tokyo-headquartered Lotte Group, a major snacks maker, recalled its Koala's March cookies in Hong Kong and Macau because of contamination, and promised to "look deeply into all the details of the manufacturing process" to preserve customer confidence.[101] The range was also ordered off Dutch[102] and Slovakian shelves.[103] Its Chocolate Pie was seized when samples tested positive inMalta.[104]
On 29 September, British confectionery group Cadbury was forced to withdraw its 11 chocolate products in China on suspicion of melamine contamination, in turn causing it to close down its three factories in China. The recall affected the China markets, as well as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Australia.[105][106] Tests in Hong Kong found excessive amounts of melamine in China-made Dairy Milkproducts.[107]
On 30 September, Unilever recalled its Lipton milk tea powder after the company's internal checks found traces of melamine in the Chinese milk powder used as an ingredient.[108][109] Heinz recalled cases of baby cereal in Hong Kong after discovering they contained melamine.[110][111] Nestlé's factory in Heilongjiang was also implicated: the Taiwanese Department of Health forced the delisting of six Neslacand KLIM products on 2 October for containing minute traces of melamine, although the minister said they did not pose a significant health risk.[112]
Since the milk crisis broke, Nestlé says it has sent 20 specialists from Switzerland to five of its Chinese plants to strengthen chemical testing. On 31 October, it announced the opening of a $10.2 million Beijing research and development centre, to "serve as the base and the reference in food safety for Nestlé in Greater China." Nestlé Chief Technology Officer said the centre was equipped with "highly sophisticated analytical tools for detecting trace amounts of residues and undesirable compounds like melamine or veterinary drugs or natural toxins".[113]
Olympics
There were concerns dairy products consumed during the 2008 Summer Olympic games may have been contaminated. Li Changjiang, the then Director of AQSIQ reassured the international community that all the food, including dairy products, was indeed safe. "We took special quality management measures aimed at food supply for the Games."[114]
Outside mainland China
PRC Customs said exports of dairy products and eggs in 2007 were valued at US$359 million, a year-on-year increase of 90 percent. Since the news of the melamine contamination began to circulate, at least 25 countries stopped importing Chinese dairy products. A number of countries had imposed blanket bans on Chinese milk products or its derivatives—among which were Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Gabon, India, Côte d'Ivoire, Maldives, Mali, Mexico, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, South Korea, Suriname, Tanzania, Togo, and theUnited Arab Emirates[115][116][117][118][119] —joining Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia which had also imposed specific bans on Chinese dairy products which tested positive for melamine.[120][121] White Rabbit Creamy Candy was also blacklisted after tests by health authorities around the world identified it as being contaminated.[122]
Hong Kong
The scandal destroyed all trust in locally produced infant formula, and since then many Shenzhen residents and parallel traders travel across the border to purchase milk powder from Hong Kong shops.[123] Lower confidence in Chinese production, combined with the relaxing of visa requirements for mainland citizens, has resulted in severe shortages of infant formula in Hong Kong for an extended time.[124] Due to great public outcry, the Import and Export (General)(Amendment) Regulation 2013 was passed in Hong Kong, prohibiting the unlicensed export of powdered formula, including milk and soya milk powder for infants and children under 36 months.[125] According to the HK government, the regulation is not applicable to "powdered formula that is exported in the accompanied personal baggage of a person aged 16 or above leaving Hong Kong if the person did not leave Hong Kong in the last 24 hours and the formula does not exceed 1.8 kg in total net weight."[126]
Although the Hong Kong government imposed a strict 2-can limit on the export of infant formula in March 2013,[127] spurred price differentials caused by sales tax on the mainland and lax customs, trafficking activity including for milk powder continues, exacerbating Hong Kong-Mainland conflict.[128] The catchment area for traffickers has spread from Fan Ling and Sheung Shui southward to Yuen Long and Tuen Mun, causing localist groups such as Civic Passion and Hong Kong Indigenous to take to the streets in direct action in 2015.[129]
European Union
On 25 September 2008, the EU announced a ban on imports of baby food containing Chinese milk. The European Commission also called for tighter checks on other Chinese food imports;[130][131]isolated contaminated products were found in the Netherlands, and the French authorities ordered all Chinese dairy products off shelves;[132] Tesco removed White Rabbit as a precaution from its stores in the United Kingdom.
United States Food and Drug Administration
In the United States of America, which was otherwise unaffected by the scares, the US distributor of White Rabbit candies recalled the product when samples found in Hartford showed traces of melamine.[133] The candy's maker and subsidiary of Bright Foods, Guan Sheng Yuan, issued a recall to the 50 countries to which it exported.[134]
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said while food containing melamine below 2.5 parts per million generally did not raise concerns, its scientists were "currently unable to establish any level of melamine and melamine-related compounds in infant formula that does not raise public health concerns".[135] On 12 November 2008, the FDA issued a general alert against all finished food products from China, saying that information received from government sources in a number of countries indicates a wide range and variety of products from a variety of producers have been manufactured using melamine-contaminated milk was a recurring problem.[136] In late November, after FDA found traces of melamine in one Nestle and one Mead Johnson infant product, the FDA concluded melamine or cyanuric acid alone, "at or below 1 part per million in infant formula do not raise public health concerns" in babies.[137]
Response
International agencies
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) warned that children who ate large amounts of 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 children with a mean consumption of products such as milk toffee, biscuits and chocolate containing contaminated milk powder would not be at risk, and adults would not be at risk even in the worst-case scenarios.[138]
The World Health Organization, which was only notified on 11 September,[139] asked Beijing why it took so many months for the scandal to become public, and to establish whether failure was deliberate or due to ignorance.[140] WHO's representative in China, Hans Troedsson, 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."[141]
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.[142]WHO and UNICEF also jointly decried the "particularly deplorable ... deliberate contamination of foods intended for ... vulnerable infants and young children"[143] On 26 September, the WHO warned health officials around the world to be alert for dairy products of Chinese origin that could be tainted.[144] Anthony Hazzard, the Western Pacific director of the World Health Organization said countries had been advised by the International Food Safety Authorities (INFOSAN) to focus particularly on smuggled formula.[28]
The WHO referred to the incident as one of the largest food safety events it has had to deal with in recent years. It says the crisis of confidence among Chinese consumers would be hard to overcome.[8] It saw regulation failing to keep pace with the rapid development of the food and industrial production as opening the gates to all types of misbehaviour and malfeasance. The spokesman said the scale of the problem proved it was "clearly not an isolated accident, [but] a large-scale intentional activity to deceive consumers for simple, basic, short-term profits."[8]
WHO Director-General Margaret Chan reminded Chinese mothers that babies not breastfed were being deprived of the best nutrition offered by nature, while risking being exposed to the effects of melamine.[145] She added: "We need to try our very best to tell [mothers] the difference [between breast milk and formula]. Of course breastfeeding is the 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."[145]
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