Tainted milk resurfaces
- Source: Global Times
- [02:33 February 05 2010]
- Comments
Another confidence blow
Despite assurances, the new scandal has dealt another blow to the public's confidence in food safety, which has become increasingly sensitive after a string of scandals in recent years.
"I'm afraid it's better not to eat milk candies now," Huang Yang, a 26yearold Web reporter in Beijing, said.
A 40yearold Guangzhou resident surnamed Xie, who is a member of the local nongovernmental foodsafety organization, said he was shocked to hear that the tainted products had found their way back on to the market.
"The authorities must give us an answer," he told the Global Times.
The 2008 scare led to Chinese dairy products being taken off shelves around the world. A total of 21 people were reportedly convicted of wrongdoing, with two executed and others sentenced to jail terms.
Prompted by the worst food safety crisis in years, the government intensified supervision with new laws and regulations, including the Food Safety Law that took effect on June 1. Nationwide checks of food safety have also been increased.
But enforcement is weakened when local governments place the interests of their local dairies above regulations, allowing milk producers to be more daring, Chen Yu, a professor at the Beijing AgroBusiness Management University, was quoted by Southern Weekend newspaper as saying.
Luo Yunbo, dean of the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering at the China Agricultural University, told the Global Times that food safety is related to the level of how civilized a society is.
"The tainted milkpowder scandal was such an alarm for dairy companies, especially the leading ones. Most of them tightened selfregulation and quality checks on their suppliers, as people began to realize the widespread practice was lifethreatening," Luo said.
"However, some risked concealing the contaminated milk powder and put it back in circulation after the government crackdown," Luo said.
The central government has dispatched eight teams of inspectors to 16 provinces to urge local governments to thoroughly investigate cases concerning food safety, the National Food Safety Rectification Office announced Tuesday.
Qiu Wei contributed to this story
