International reaction to the 2008 Chinese milk scandal
PRC Customs said that exports of dairy products and eggs in 2007 were valued at US$359 million, a year-on-year increase of 90%. Since the news of the melamine contamination began to circulate, at least 25 countries stopped importing Chinese dairy products. A number of countries have imposed blanket bans on Chinese milk products or its derivatives —among which are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Gabon, India, Ivory Coast, Maldives, Mali, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, South Korea, Suriname, Tanzania, Togo, and the United Arab Emirates — joining Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia which have imposed specific bans on mainland Chinese dairy products which have tested positive for melamine. White Rabbit Creamy Candy was blacklisted after tests by health authorities around the world identified it as being contaminated.
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; isolated contaminated products were found in the Netherlands and the French authorities ordered all Chinese dairy products off shelves; Tesco removed White Rabbit as a precaution from its stores in the United Kingdom. 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. The candy's maker and subsidiary of Bright Foods, Guan Sheng Yuan issued a recall to the 50 countries to which it exported.
International Reaction Per Country
Country |
Brands |
Reaction |
|---|---|---|
White Rabbit, Koala, Kirin milk tea, Cadbury, Dali Yuan, Orion cake |
Food Standards Australia New Zealand issued a general warning on White Rabbit candies after testing found melamine contamination at 180 ppm. The authority also pulled Lotte Koala's March biscuits from all stores as a precaution after discoveries of melamine were found in them overseas. A total of 6 products contaminated with melamine have already been recalled throughout Australia. |
|
Yili, Cadbury, Koala's March |
The National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT), decided to ban the import and sale of 48 products of Chinese origin that contain milk or any of its derivatives as a preventive measure. The ANMAT published lists of the products, ranging from powdered milk to candies and cereal bars, and issued a general warning to the public to abstain from consuming them. |
|
Diploma, Red Cow, Dano, Yashili, Sweet Baby, Nido, Anlene{{cite news |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=&id=129cf679-0311-44c8-ba1b-525742bde469&&Headline=Bangladesh+court+bans+sale+of+8+milk+powder+brands |title=Bangladesh court bans sale of 8 milk powder brands |work=Agence France-Presse |publisher=Hindustani Times |
date=23 October 2008}} . |
|
Nissin Cha Cha Dessert mix |
The four largest manufacturers of infant formula in Canada confirmed to the federal department that they did not use milk ingredients from China. Mengniu strawberry yogurt, only distributed in Alberta and Saskatchewan (and with no English or French labeling), was recalled by its importers for possible melamine contamination. |
|
none |
Chile announced the prohibition of any type of Chinese food products that contain Chinese milk effective 26 September, and removed more than 2,000 packages with these items in order for analysis, although the Ministry of Health said that there was no evidence there was contaminated milk in Chile.{{cite news |
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n/a |
Cambodia banned the import of Chinese milk products from china< |
|
n/a |
France recalled Chinese biscuits and sweets in October and French consumers were warned to return similar products.< |
|
various*, incl Sunflower Biscuits, Yili,{{citenews|author=Paggie Leung & Mary Ann Benitez |date=20 September 2008 |title=HK store chains strip shelves of Mengniu goods|pages= A2 |
publisher=South China Morning Post}} |
|
n/a |
On 25 September 2008 India announced the ban on import of dairy items, including milk and milk products, from China for three months following reports of contamination.{{cite news |
|
various*, incl M&M's, Oreos, and Cadbury's Dairy Milk |
The Health Ministry of Indonesia imposed a pre-emptive import ban on dairy products from China, while offices of the Indonesian Food and Drugs Supervisory Agency (IFDSA) gave orders to withdraw Chinese dairy products from stores. The government also withdrew the local distribution permit given to the only dairy product from China. The health ministry said it had found melamine in twelve products, including products from Mars, Kraft Foods and Cadbury's. Mars disputed the Indonesian tests as being "impossibly high", and inconsistent with results from agencies across Asia and Europe. |
|
Various products |
On 16 October, a tonne of smuggled Chinese powdered milk, suspected to be contaminated, was seized in the Naples. |
|
Marudai (recall), Chocolate Pillows,{{cite news|author=AFP|date=4 October 2008| url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/380211/1/.html|title=Japan importer recalls suspect Chinese chocolates |
publisher=ChannelNewsAsia}} various products |
|
various products |
On 28 September, the government stopped all imports of milk products, such as milk-flavoured toffees, milk and milk powder from China. Tests done on samples taken from markets of Vientiane revealed two milk products containing melamine. |
|
various* |
On 23 September, a 16-month-old boy in Macau who is said to have been brought up on Heilongjiang-manufactured Nestlé powder was diagnosed with kidney stones. Three girls who participated in a government-sponsored milk program were diagnosed with kidney stones. On 30 September, Unilever began recalling Lipton milk tea powder after found traces of melamine during the company's internal tests. |
|
Khong Guan, |
Malaysia had banned dairy items from China in early 2008 because of foot and mouth disease in Chinese cattle. Although it had not yet ascertained the full extent of products affected, the Malaysian Health Ministry extended the ban to include candies, chocolates and all foods containing milk on 23 September. Following the positive testing of Khong Guan biscuits, Chinese produced ammonium carbonate was banned. Dutch Lady Milk Industries, whose milk in plastic bottles was tested positive in Singapore, reassured consumers that the tainted range was from China, and were not sold in Malaysia. |
|
milk and infant powder (9 brands){{cite news|url=http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-10-10-voa25.cfm|title=Tainted Milk Products Found in Burma |
publisher=VOA News |date=10 October 2008}} |
|
Koala's March |
||
Wahaha |
Tatua Co-operative Dairy Co, a large exporter of lactoferrin was alerted that melamine had been detected in its own product. The company confirmed contamination at less than four parts per million (4ppm), saying it would investigate. |
|
White Rabbit, various products |
On 1 October 2008 the authorities in Peru began confiscating Chinese candy, cookies, buns, chocolates and other milk-based foodstuffs from shops mostly in Lima's Chinatown district. Already five types of milk-based products have been banned in Peru. |
|
Yili, Mengniu, Jolly Cow, Lotte |
On 24 September, the Philippines prohibited the importing and sale of Chinese milk, and asked stores to surrender them at state centres for inspection. Senator Pia Juliana Cayetano, the head of the health and demographics committee, warned that some retailers might repack powdered milk for resale in smaller bags to unsuspecting customers. The scares also resulted in fear of milk shortage in the country.. The Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) lifted the ban on Sunflower Blueberry Filled Sandwich imposed following positive tests in Hong Kong, after local tested showed no signs melamine.{{cite news |
|
n/a |
Local distributors reaffirmed that "almost nothing... from China" ever makes it to Qatar, thus dairy and baby food products sold in the states were unlikely to be affected by melamine contamination. Qatar imposed a ban on the import and sale of White Rabbit candy, a product not officially sold in the state. |
|
Milk powder, various products |
On 30 September, Russia banned the imports of dairy products from China. Russian authorities seized two tonnes of dairy products imported from China which contained melamine. On 3 October, milk powder containing melamine was discovered in Tomsk. |
|
milk powder |
The Saudi food authority on December 3 reported high contamination by the industrial chemical melamine in milk powder made by a Nestle plant in China. "The Product contains high concentrations harmful to health ...," Saudi Arabia's Food and [...] Authority said in a statement on its website, while Nestle said it was safe for consumption |
|
various*, incl Cadbury, Silang House of Steamed Potato, Dutch Lady |
On 9 October, Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority found traces of melamine in three more Chinese made products. So far 13 Chinese food products have been found to contained melamine and Singapore has called for a total disposal of all contaminated products. |
|
Koala, Pepero |
Three to four times the legal limit of melamine were found in chocolate biscuits and snacks not yet commercialised. Also an illegally-imported milk drink was found to contain a high concentration melamine. |
|
Tatua, M&M, Snickers, Kit Kat, various products |
The government declared an official import ban on all Chinese dairy products after traces of melamine were discovered in a sample of the popular Mi Sarang Custard snacks produced in China which are distributed by Haitai. The Korean Food and [...] Administration ordered all current Chinese dairy products on the market to be recalled and destroyed. Officials found melamine contamination in Nabisco Ritz cheese sandwiches and in rice crackers made by a Chinese company. Authorities discovered melamine in lactoferrin imported from New Zealand Tatua Cooperative Dairy Company. |
|
various(60 products) |
The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) took out a court order on Edna to halt sales, pending an inquiry, after learning it had imported milk from China. A Sri Lankan cookie manufacturer has also issued a recall, after officials in Switzerland found high levels of melamine in their products. |
|
Chocolate biscuit |
According to a Swedish Daily Paper (Svenska Dagbladet) report on October 13, a batch of made-in-China chocolate biscuit that was contaminated with melamine entered Stockholm, and many of them have been consumed. The same product was imported into Netherlands and then sold to a wholesaler in Stockholm. |
|
Lemon Puff Munchee, S&P, White Rabbit |
On 13 October, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health issued warnings of melamine contamination found in milk cookies from Thailand and biscuits from Sri Lanka. However Ceylon Biscuits Limited said it did not source milk ingredients from China. |
|
various, Mr. Brown Coffee,{{cite news |
author=Lee Spears & Wendy Leung|date=21 September 2008|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=a4krf9ZOzsh8&refer=asia |
|
milk powder |
Tanzania reported on 23 September that it had suspended Chinese dairy product imports and seized about 34 tonnes of milk powder (not baby formula) from China. Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority temporarily stopped issuing of permits for importation and distribution of milk and products containing milk from China, and ordered all businesses with relevant products to surrender their stocks. |
|
Dutch Mill, Mali condensed milk, S&P Milk Cookies |
On 30 September, Thai authorities introduced restrictions on Chinese dairy products after discovering melamine on two samples of imported Chinese milk powder. On the previous day, Thailand impounded about sixty tonnes of contaminated milk powder. Authorities recalled all locally produced unsweetened condensed skimmed milk formula with a palm oil after finding high melamine contamination at the Thai Dairy Industry's factory. Hajuku Strawberry Stick is manufactured by Yantai Arari Confectionery and Food, Laboratory tests showed a level of melamine of 5.07 mg/kg in the strawberry stick |
|
n/a |
On 25 September, United Arab Emirates enacted a ban on all dairy products from China. All supermarkets and food outlets have been directed to remove the products from their shelves. |
|
n/a |
Supermarket chain Tesco recalled the sale of all White Rabbit chocolate in its stores throughout the UK. Meanwhile a chocolate-covered spread that was sold around [...] shops in UK was found to be contaminated with melamine. |
|
Mr. Brown, Blue Cat |
The Food and [...] Administration (FDA) issued an advisory on 12 September over the possibility of contaminated milk powder being sold in speciality markets serving the Asian community in the U.S., while assuring consumers that no formula approved for sale in the U.S. was made in China.{{cite news |
|
various milk powders, Yili, Khong Guan, Pokka, Hanoimilk |
On 24 September, Vietnam banned all Chinese dairy products after finding melamine in a shipment of 101 tons of powdered milk from China. On 2 October, the health ministry reported the discovery of melamine in 18 food products imported from China, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. On 4 October, the authorities ordered schools to stop serving milk until the origins of their supplies had been certified. Hanoi Mil, Vietnam's third-largest dairy product company said it had recalled several products including sweetened yoghurt earlier this month after tests found melamine in 11 of its products. |