BEIJING, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council, the Cabinet, has started the first-class national food safety emergency response to deal with the tainted Sanlu milk powder incident that has caused kidney stones in at least 432 babies.
The State Council has set up a national leading group comprising officials from the Health Ministry, the quality watchdog and local governments for the incident.
A preliminary investigation has confirmed the Sanlu baby milk powder contaminated by melamine was the cause of kidney stones in infants, said an official statement released here Saturday evening.
The melamine substance found in some of the Sanlu products was deliberately added to increase the protein percentage in raw milk or milk powder, it said.
The statement said the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council attached high importance to the issue, urging all-out efforts in treating the affected babies. The patients will be given free medical treatment and the cost will be shouldered by the government.
Meanwhile, the State Council urged a thorough overhaul of the milk powder market, directing the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) to join other departments to check all the brands of baby formulas circulating in the market, and immediately pull those disqualified products off shelves.
The reason why the Sanlu baby formula was contaminated must be found out as soon as possible, the State Council said, directing the local government and relevant departments to overhaul all the links including the milk powder production, cow raising, raw milk collection and dairy processing.
Based on the findings, the criminals and all those responsible would be severely punished, it said.
Relevant local government and departments should draw lessons from the incident and improve the food safety and quality supervision mechanism to ensure the food safety of the public, it added.
The State Council has directed the provincial government of Hebei, where the Sanlu group is based, to halt production of the group. An investigation team set up by the health ministry and other departments is also in the province to probe into the cause, and the quality watchdog AQSIQ is conducting an all-round overhaul of baby milk powder producers across the country.
China starts probe into baby powder milk contamination as more cases reported
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Two babies with kidney stones receive medical treatment at a military hospital in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, Sept. 11, 2008.(Xinhua Photo)
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BEIJING, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Police have questioned 78 people suspected of being involved in a baby milk powder contamination scandal, said Shijiazhuang Vice Mayor Zhao Xinchao on Friday.
The city is where the formula was being manufactured by Sanlu Group. Full story
Stores in China pull contaminated milk powder off shelves
BEIJING, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of Carrefour and Wal-Mart stores in China are pulling Sanlu milk powder off shelves.
The withdrawal came after both the health authority and Sanlu confirmed the milk to be contaminated with a toxic chemical. Full story
China's Sanlu admits contamination of baby milk powder products
BEIJING, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Sanlu Group, a leading Chinese dairy producer, said it had found in its self-check that some of its baby milk powder products were contaminated by tripolycyanamide. Full story
Milk powder sent for testing after dozens of babies get sick
BEIJING, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- The number of babies sick in a milk powder scandal in China continues to grow as at least seven provinces are now reporting cases of kidney stones in infants.
National food and health authorities are trying to find out if all the babies drank the same brand of milk powder. Samples had been sent to a state-run lab for analysis. Full story
