HONG KONG — The European Commission proposed yesterday tests and restrictions on Chinese food products containing powdered milk as Unicef and the World Health Organisation (WHO) called China’s growing milk scandal “deplorable”.
Beijing is battling public alarm and international panic after thousands of Chinese children were hospitalised, sick from infant milk formula tainted with melamine, a cheap industrial chemical that can be used to cheat quality checks.
A European Commission spokeswoman said EU authorities would test 100% of products from China containing more than 15% of milk powder, and would ban all products for children and young people containing any proportion of milk.
This came as the WHO and Unicef issued a joint statement saying the deliberate contamination of food for infants and young children was “particularly deplorable”.
But the two agencies said Beijing’s plan to overhaul its food safety would help prevent a recurrence.
“We are confident that swift and firm actions are being taken by China’s food safety authorities to investigate this incident fully. We also expect that … better regulation of foods for infants and young children will be enforced,” it said.
The WHO and Unicef urges mothers to breast feed their infants.
Despite expectations for a food safety overhaul, China’s size and web of agencies and product quality watchdogs has made maintaining standards a herculean task.
Inconsistent regulations, poor enforcement, weak laws and powerful officials and businessmen have allowed illicit operations to thrive.
While the scandal has triggered arrests and sackings in China, the political repercussions began to spread overseas.
Taiwan Health Minister Lin Fang-yue tendered his resignation after 25 tons of potentially tainted milk powder were imported, a Taiwanese news agency reported.
Nitrogen-rich melamine can be added to substandard milk to fool quality checks, which often use nitrogen levels to measure protein.
The chemical is used in pesticides and in making plastics.
The Foreign Ministry, seeking to reassure the world, repeated that China is willing to increase co-operation to stop the case widening.
Despite reassurances, more and more countries have taken steps against milk imports from China.
India became the most populous country to announce a ban on Chinese milk products yesterday, to remain in force for three months.
Thailand impounded Chinese milk products and Vietnam and Nepal halted sales of all Chinese milk products. In Myanmar, officials said they would destroy contaminated formula from China.
South Korea began recalling products after the Korea Food and Drug Administration found tainted rice cookies made for a South Korean firm by one of its divisions in China.
Singapore said it tested melamine in five more products.
Starbucks said it had started using fresh milk from a Hong Kong milk supplier in 55 of its stores in China.
In Europe, France banned all food items containing Chinese milk products.
