Contaminated Chinese milk powder imported?
Thursday, 18 September 2008
FE Report
The commerce ministry will hold a meeting on Sunday to review whether any contaminated Chinese milk powder has been imported into the country or not.
"Our guideline on import of milk powder is very strict. Yet we want to be sure whether any consignment of contaminated Chinese milk powder has entered into the country or not," commerce secretary Feroz Ahmed said Wednesday.
Food and Agriculture adviser A.M.M Shawkat Ali told reporters on the day that officials were looking into the matter after international press reports said contaminated milk powder, which has killed three babies in China and sickened over 6000, could be bound for Bangladesh.
Tests revealed that two Chinese companies produced tainted milk products and exported the baby formula to five countries including Bangladesh and Burma, according to an international news agency.
Both firms were among the 22 companies where the ministry found 69 batches of milk powder tainted with melamine, the report said.
The melamine is normally used in making plastics, glues and industrial resin. Such tainted milk powder damages kidney in human bodies.
An official of the Allah Food that markets milk power Dano in the local market said the country's annual demand for milk powder of around 25,000 tonnes is totally imported.
"Established and reputed brand milk powder accounts for 50 per cent of the annual import. The rest of the import comes from cheaper and non-brand sources," said Allah Food country manager Ahmed Kabir.
There are a dozen local companies which import milk powder from the non-brand sources and market those in local brand names, he said.
The commerce ministry will hold a meeting on Sunday to review whether any contaminated Chinese milk powder has been imported into the country or not.
"Our guideline on import of milk powder is very strict. Yet we want to be sure whether any consignment of contaminated Chinese milk powder has entered into the country or not," commerce secretary Feroz Ahmed said Wednesday.
Food and Agriculture adviser A.M.M Shawkat Ali told reporters on the day that officials were looking into the matter after international press reports said contaminated milk powder, which has killed three babies in China and sickened over 6000, could be bound for Bangladesh.
Tests revealed that two Chinese companies produced tainted milk products and exported the baby formula to five countries including Bangladesh and Burma, according to an international news agency.
Both firms were among the 22 companies where the ministry found 69 batches of milk powder tainted with melamine, the report said.
The melamine is normally used in making plastics, glues and industrial resin. Such tainted milk powder damages kidney in human bodies.
An official of the Allah Food that markets milk power Dano in the local market said the country's annual demand for milk powder of around 25,000 tonnes is totally imported.
"Established and reputed brand milk powder accounts for 50 per cent of the annual import. The rest of the import comes from cheaper and non-brand sources," said Allah Food country manager Ahmed Kabir.
There are a dozen local companies which import milk powder from the non-brand sources and market those in local brand names, he said.