Photo: Screenshot from China Media Group’s WeChat account

A Chinese court delivered a verdict in dealing with a case of producing and selling counterfeit milk powder in July, after the fake milk powder was found sold on major Chinese e-commerce platforms, China Media Group (CMG) reported on its WeChat account on Sunday.

On mulitple e-commerce platforms, consumers can see advertisements for so-called “foreign-brand” milk powder. And, in some live-streamers’ descriptions, their cow’s milk, goat’s milk, camel milk, and other products are portrayed as “high-quality yet affordable, made with natural ingredients, and suitable for infants, young children, the elderly, and other groups.” However, most consumers would never imagine that some of these so-called “imported” dairy products are actually produced in a warehouse in a small county town and then shipped all across China, according to the CMG report.

In July of this year, a Chinese court delivered a verdict in dealing with this case of producing and selling counterfeit milk powder. Three defendants were convicted of the crime of producing and selling substandard products, and each was sentenced to 15 years in prison along with a fine, the report said.

According to the CMG, in August 2024, while conducting routine inspections in the suburbs of Zhongmou county, Central China’s Henan Province, police officers noticed suspicious activity at a sealed compound. Although the warehouse gates were tightly shut, the officers detected a strong milky aroma wafting from the premises.

The police then set up surveillance in a building across the street. Observing through the louvered windows on the second floor, they saw more than a dozen workers apparently producing and packaging milk powder in a workshop inside the compound, and loading the boxed products onto a logistics truck.

According to the report, police discovered that the outer packaging of the milk powder showed it was of a foreign brand, yet the group had no corresponding production qualifications. Logistics records from the shipping platforms revealed that the milk powders were being sold on all major e-commerce platforms. At this point, the police confirmed that this was an illegal workshop suspected of producing and selling counterfeit milk powder. 

On August 20, 2024, the police arrested 12 suspects on the spot and seized large quantities of raw materials, packaging materials, and equipment used to produce substandard milk powder, as well as 6,000 boxes of 14 types of finished milk powder products, including cow’s milk powder, goat’s milk powder, and camel milk powder. Police investigation revealed that 14 types of substandard counterfeit milk powder were sold at high prices, said the report.

In some live-streamers’ promotions, the “imported” milk powders were described as high in protein and suitable for infants, young children, the elderly, and other people with low immunity. However, tests conducted by professional institutions showed that the fat and calcium content of this so-called milk powder failed to meet national standards, and the protein content was virtually zero, according to the CMG.


Global Times