CHINA'S MILK NOW MELAMINE-FREE, SAYS MINISTRY

By Ng Che Yean

BEIJING, May 16 (Bernama) -- The quality of China's fresh milk has
improved and tests show it is now free from melamine, according to the Ministry
of Agriculture.

More than 20,000 batches of fresh milk had been tested and all passed the
safety requirement during spot checks conducted last year and during the first
quarter of this year, the ministry said in a statement.

"It shows that the safety of fresh milk has significantly improved
throughout the country," it said.

The ministry will launch a special campaign soon to continue to regulate the
illegal use of additives in milk.

China was hit by the melamine milk scandals in 2008, with estimated 300,000
babies falling sick after consuming tainted milk powder. Six children died of
melamine poisoning during the height of the scandals.


Melamine is an industrial chemical that can make diluted or poor quality
material appear to be higher in protein content by elevating the total nitrogen
content.

Following the scandal, the Chinese government took serious action against
the use of melamine in the dairy industry. However, mistrust of Chinese-made
milk powder remains a big challenge for China to overcome.

According to a China Dairy Industry Association report, issued earlier last
year, domestic output of baby formula milk powder dropped by 12 per cent in
2010, with foreign brands dominating almost half of the country's milk powder
market.