Leading Chinese Dairy Companies Issue First Public Apology for Milk Scandal

Top managers of the country's three leading dairy companies - Mengniu, Yili and Bright Dairy -have issued a first public apology for their companies' involvement in the ongoing contaminated

Mengniu, Yili and Bright Dairy- China’s dairy giants, have issued their premier apology for their involvement in the widely-publicized milk scandal. The issue, which has become a national shame, has resulted in many countries banning Chinese dairy imports.

During a talk show program, Dialogue, broadcast last night on the economic channel of China Central Television, executives of the three companies admitted to "the problems and mistakes" of their firms.

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Their apology came one month after the surfacing of the scandal involving tainted milk products from dairy giant Sanlu Group, in which melamine-contaminated baby formula had sickened thousands of infants nationwide with kidney-related illnesses, reports The China Daily.

Products from three dairy brands were also tested and found contaminated with melamine, a chemical that was added to the dairy products to raise protein levels.

Guo Benheng, CEO of Shanghai-based Bright Dairy, confessed that the scandal shocked the industry and exposed problems such as loose quality supervision and lack of business ethics, which seriously affected consumer confidence in the industry.

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The United Nations on Friday urged concerted action to remove melamine from the food chain and restore public confidence in dairy products as China's toxic milk scandal deepened.

Responding to an estimate that the three enterprises may have suffered a loss of 200 million Yuan (29 million dollars) in the scandal, all three executives believed the final figure could be much higher.

The scandal broke out early last month, when 14 infants from Gansu province, all of whom had been drinking formula produced by Sanlu, were found afflicted with kidney stones.

Milk Sold in Chinese Shops Contains Melamine
Chinese authorities have found melamine in milk sold in stores, state television reported Thursday, widening a scare over contaminated powdered milk in which four people have died.

So far, more than 53,000 children across the country have been diagnosed with similar problems.

After the scandal spread to include more dairy brands and products, enterprises reportedly strengthened self-monitoring and other measures, to ensure milk products on the market are safe for consumption.

China Hid Milk Scandal to Save Beijing Olympics, Rights Groups Say
Journals and media critics have alleged that China knew about the contamination of milk products months ago but covered the scandal up to prevent it tarnishing the Beijing Olympics.

The latest tests by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine showed that samples of 855 batches from 77 brands of liquid milk produced after September 14 did not contain melamine.

Source-ANI
TAN/SK