Inferior milk powder rejected or destroyed

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China's quality watchdog returned and destroyed 270 tons of imported milk powder in the past 14 months, Dragon TV reported today.

Of the 34 batches of rejected products, 26 were infant formulas and 20 were made in New Zealand and Australia, the world's two major dairy producers.

The problem came to light this September when 23 tons of imported infant formula and 100 tons of foreign milk powder were tested unsafe and banned from entering the domestic market, according to a press release from the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

Nearly 20 tons of NutraStart Golden Baby Formula made by Murray Goulburn Co-operative Ltd, a leading dairy producer in Australia, was found to contain less pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) than required by the Chinese standard. Infants will become anxious and fretful and have poor digestion if lacking the substance.

Some products imported in Shanghai were also blacklisted. A batch of yogurt from Frischli Milchwerke GMBH in Germany already passed the expiration date and 3.39 tons of cinnamon bread made by IKEA, the world's largest furniture maker in Sweden, contained an excessive amount of bacteria.

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