BEIJING, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Commerce said here on Friday that 3,215 tonnes of milk powder had been removed from retail outlets around the country amid the tainted milk scandal, but supplies of safe domestic milk powder are sufficient.

    The ministry is to continue monitoring the market and take effective measures to guarantee supply. A daily report system, initiated on Sept. 15, requires local authorities, major dealers and manufacturers to report key statistics, such as the price, stock and sales of milk powder.

    The National Development and Reform Commission also issued an emergency notice, asking local authorities to step up price monitoring and intervene when necessary to stabilize the price of baby milk powder.

    More than 6,200 infants have developed kidney stones after drinking baby formula tainted with the hazardous chemical melamine, which makes the protein content of the milk appear higher.

    Dairy giant Sanlu, based in the Hebei provincial capital of Shijiazhuang in north China, was the first company exposed in the scandal, but subsequent investigations found a total of 22 manufacturers involved, including leading companies such as the Bright Dairy & Food and Mengniu Group.

China's cabinet abolishes regulation on inspection exemptions for food

    BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council, or the cabinet, on Thursday announced the abolishment of regulations on inspection exemptions for food.

    In a circular distributed to ministries and governments at all levels, the cabinet said that it had decided to abolish the regulations relating to quality inspection exemptions for food in a document issued on Dec. 5, 1999.

Quality watchdog cancels inspection exemptions for food producers 

A doctor gives medical examination to a child with kidney diseases at the Gansu Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, Sept. 18, 2008. (Xinhua/Liu Quanlong) Photo Gallery>>>

    BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- In the wake of the contaminated baby milk powder scandal, Chinese quality watchdog on Wednesday cancelled all kinds of national inspection exemptions previously given to food producers.

    "Considering the particular characteristics of food products and the complexity in the cause of food safety problems, and with a view to further enhancing supervision over food producers, ensuring food safety and protecting consumers' interests," said the State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) in an explanation of the move. 

China's cabinet orders inspections, reform of dairy industry

    BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- An executive meeting of the State Council (cabinet), presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao, on Wednesday decided to launch national comprehensive tests of dairy products and reform the dairy industry.

    According to the meeting, the incident involving the tainted Sanlu milk powder reflected chaotic industry conditions, as well as loopholes in the supervision and management of the industry. Full story