Milk products produced before Sept. 14 recalled

By Yang Lifei  |   2008-10-14  |     ONLINE EDITION

ALL milk powder and liquid milk produced prior to September 14 in China should be removed from store shelves and stopped from sale, according to a joint urgent notice by six state ministries including the Ministry of Health.

The notice, issued on Saturday, required all supermarkets, stores and retail outlets to remove such milk products immediately. The manufacturers are supposed to recall the products and have them examined by provincial quality check departments.

If the dairy products are confirmed to meet national standards for melamine, a special label will be put on the packages before they can be sold on the market.

The national limits for melamine levels in milk and associated food products were set at 1mg per kg for infant formula and 2.5mg per kg for other dairy products including liquid milk.

Dairy products produced after September 14 do not need to be labeled if they meet melamine standards, the notice said.

A previous ban stipulated that only 24 batches of tainted liquid milk and 69 batches of tainted milk powder should be recalled.