China's Tainted Formula Shows Risks of Dairy Boom

ABC NEWS

China's tainted baby formula show risks of fast, poorly regulated growth of dairy industry

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer
SHANGHAI, China September 19, 2008 (AP)

Associated Press

 

     A generation ago, when today's new Chinese parents were infants, milk powder was so scarce that it was one of the top items requested from travelers visiting from overseas.

 

     A wide array of dairy products now lines supermarket shelves, and analysts say the boom has overwhelmed regulators. The discovery this week of an industrial chemical in baby formula and milk is just one symptom, they say, of unbridled growth in the dairy industry, where poor hygiene reigns and safety standards often go unenforced.

Authorities ordered testing of all dairy products and vowed to upgrade quality standards after four Chinese babies died and more than 6,200 fell ill from drinking formula containing melamine. Wider checks found the chemical in milk produced by several of China's biggest name dairy companies, according to Chinese authorities. . . Read More