China Uncovers Tainted Baby-Food

Contaminated baby food in China has claimed the lives of three children, Minister of Health Chen Zhu reported last week. More than 150 babies are suffering from acute kidney failure, and an additional 6,000 have become sick after consuming milk powder tainted with melamine. Melamine is used to make plastics, fertilizers, and other products but is not approved as a food ingredient. China's State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection & Quarantine reported that it had detected the contaminant in milk powder produced by 22 companies, including Sanlu, Yili Industrial Group, and Mengniu, according to the country's official news agency, Xinhua. Authorities have arrested four dealers who sold milk to the firms after allegedly mixing it with melamine to inflate apparent protein content. The head of Sanlu and some local officials who oversee agriculture and food safety have been fired. The government has halted sales of the milk powder and says it intends to test every dairy product on the market for melamine.