Fourth Baby Dies As Milk Crisis Widens in China

A fourth Chinese child has died after consuming milk powder tainted with the banned industrial chemical melamine, the government said Thursday.

The Ministry of Commerce said here on Friday that 3,215 tonnes of milk powder had been removed from retail outlets around the country amid the tainted milk scandal, but supplies of safe domestic milk powder are sufficient.
The ministry is to continue monitoring the market and take effective measures to guarantee supply. A daily report system, initiated on Sept. 15, requires local authorities, major dealers and manufacturers to report key statistics, such as the price, stock and sales of milk powder.
The National Development and Reform Commission also issued an emergency notice, asking local authorities to step up price monitoring and intervene when necessary to stabilize the price of baby milk powder.

Milk brands from China’s Mengniu Dairy Group Co. and Yili Industrial Group Co. - two of three companies found to have melamine in their milk products - have reached the Philippines, according to a television report early Saturday.

Singapore suspended the sale and import of all Chinese dairy products Friday after several items tested positive for a toxic chemical, widening a crisis over tainted food in China.

The Chinese baby milk scandal, coming on the heels of numerous other consumer safety problems coming from China, has further eroded confidence in Chinese goods. As a consequence, non-Chinese firms benefit. In this case, foreign powedered milk makers have received a boost from this scanbal.