Fake Formula Fiasco

Last year it caused the untimely deaths of several dogs and cats in the U.S./st1 :place>, and this year it's already killed at least one Chinese infant.  /span>

The culprit?  Melamine, a chemical that has high levels of nitrogen, but are completely insoluble by animals.  /span>

Companies who are looking to cut corners will often use melamine to make their products appear and taste extra nutritious, but in fact, consumption of melamine can be extremely harmful.  /span>

Many parents who fed their children milk from China/st1 :country-region>'s Sanlu Group learned this lesson the hard way.  After finding 59 infants in GansuProvince/st1 :place> with kidney stones, versus zero the previous two years, officials realized that many of the babies drank the same Sanlu formula, which turned out to have high levels of melamine. /span>

Sanlu Group will remove 700 tons from the shelves, but the company hasn't made itself available for comment beyond a press release yesterday, where they denied that they were culpable for these physical problems. /span>

The Chinese Ministry of Health thought otherwise, and has already apprehended 78 suspects who might have tampered with the formula.  They have promised "serious punishment" to those involved, and I wouldn't take that statement lightly. /span>

This isn't the first time China/st1 :country-region> has been in the middle of this type of controversy.  In 2004 some fake milk powder caused deaths of at least twelve children in AnhuiProvince/st1 :place>.  The major difference between the two cases is that the 2004 incident was by a counterfeit company.  Sanlu, on the other hand, is Chinas seventh largest formula producer, and earlier this year passed China/st1 :country-region>'s safety standards. /span>

Since this investigation is still on-going, it might turn out that Sanlu has been unfairly targeted.  Of course, given the high publicity of this situation, I definitely expect the facts to unravel very quickly, and for a swift administration of justice./span>

I also predict a rise in breast-feeding.  /span>