Center retracts baby food claims

By Xuyang Jingjing Source:Global Times Published: 2012-7-12 1:45:03

A food safety testing center in Hunan Province has revoked a report which initially found three US brand baby formulas contained a banned and potentially harmful additive.

The Nutrition and Food Safety Testing Center at Hunan Agriculture University said they had found vanillin, an additive that is prohibited in stage one baby formulas under Chinese law, in products by US-based Mead Johnson, Wyeth, and Abbott that are sold in China.

The center, however, apologized Tuesday for making a mistake and said that further examinations concluded that the formula sample did not contain vanillin, a statement that did not appear to have quelled public doubts.

"We demand a more detailed and more responsible explanation regarding the matter from the testing center," a staff member of the grass-roots consumer pressure group, Hunan Credit-Building Association, surnamed Xia told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The association commissioned the tests in late June.

Xia said they will send the rest of the sample, bought at local malls, to domestic or international professional institutions for more tests.

Local media reported on Monday that tests showed the compound was found in the companies' products, raising concerns from consumers. The compound adds taste to food and is generally harmless for adults but could cause damage to infants' liver and kidney, nutritionists say.

The three companies all issued statements on Tuesday on their websites, rejecting the test results and reassuring the public that their products meet the country's food safety standards and are safe to consume.

Mead Johnson said their products go through 2,300 quality and safety tests before being released in the market. It also said that they will appeal to authoritative organizations for more testing of the products in question.

Xia said that they informed government agencies after receiving the test results, but have not heard back from them.

It sounds ridiculous that a testing center could make such mistakes, said Cao Mingshi, vice general secretary of the Shanghai Dairy Association.

"Labs should double-check if a sample has tested positive for something," said Cao.

"The authorities should follow up on the incident and have qualified, credible agencies re-examine the sample and give the public a convincing result," said Cao.

Foreign brands have seen much higher sales than domestic brands due to food safety concerns.



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