Milk poisoning in northwest China 'deliberate'

[sasha031]

Three children who died after drinking tainted milk appear to have been the victims of deliberate poisoning, Chinese state media says.

Investigators said the industrial salt nitrite had been added to fresh milk at two dairies in the north-western Gansu province in order to harm people.They had detained suspects in the city of Pingliang, the China Daily reported.

Thirty-six other people, mostly children, were taken to hospital after drinking the tainted milk.The incident happened on 8 April and as of 10 April 17 people remained in hospital, Xinhua news agency said.

The children that died were all under the age of two, with the youngest only 36 days old.Food safety scandals in China have badly damaged consumer confidence, particularly in the dairy industry.Earlier this month, China's quality inspection agency shut down nearly half of the country's 1,176 dairies as part of a campaign to clean up the industry.

In 2008, at least six babies died and another 300,000 were made ill by drinking infant formula tainted with melamine.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13036943?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[Shagbark Hickory]

1. Wow! Their inspections agency shut down nearly 1200 dairies?! I'm jealous!

Try to imagine that happening here the next time there's a contaminated spinach or lettuce outbreak

[valerief]

2. We should be grateful we get some media coverage after the fact.

We can't expect inspections, too. Tax dollars must go to WAR to make the rich richer. Making the rich richer is the most important thing in the world. They say we should pray for that, because we'll be happy once we're dead anyway.

[SomeGuyInEagan]

3. After the 2008 melamine milk poisoning, two were sentenced to death ...

... and others received long prison sentences, including the head of the company who is also a party official (who got a life sentence plus a $2 million fine):

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/4315627/Two-sentenced-to-death-over-China-melamine-milk-scandal.html

China, it appears, does not screw around when it comes to food safety. I believe that is more about protecting business and trade than citizens, but the outcome is the same. The U.S., on the other hand, has not evolved much since Upton Sinclair wrote, "The Jungle."