September 22, 2008

In a new update to contaminated milk products scandal, China has found melamine in liquid milk as well.

Widespread recalls were launched after industrial chemical melamine was found in milk powder, which led to four infant deaths and illnesses in 6,200 others.

Officials had said liquid milk was safe but the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) found liquid milk sold by three leading Chinese dairies have also been contaminated with melamine.

Test results showed nearly 10 percent of samples taken from Mengniu Dairy Group Co. and Yili Industrial Group Co. – China's two largest dairy companies – contained up to 8.4 milligrammes of melamine per kg. Milk from Shanghai-based Bright Dairy was also contaminated by melamine.

AQSIQ said it will investigate why melamine was added and will punish responsible parties. All batches that tested positive were being recalled, AQSIQ said.

Melamine has no nutritional value but is high in nitrogen, making products appear as though it is high in protein. Suppliers trying to cut costs are believed to have added the toxic chemical to watered-down milk to cover up the resulting protein deficiency.

AQSIQ has discovered that one-fifth of companies producing milk powder in China had melamine in their products.