Chinese milk scandal
A food scandal uncovered in China in 2008 is referred to as the Chinese milk scandal or melamine scandal .
Here, nitrogen-containing synthetic resin raw materials, namely melamine , were mixed into milk products in order to simulate a high protein content despite the diluted milk . It is possible that milk has already been infused with plastic precursors unnoticed for years, because melamine is not particularly toxic per se. The adulterated foods were also used in baby food in 2008 and led to kidney stones and massive kidney failure, so that almost 300,000 babies fell ill and six babies died.
The Chinese market leader Sanlu went bankrupt as a result of the scandal. A number of those responsible were convicted, including the death penalty. Other participating companies and the Chinese dairy industry as a whole suffered considerable sales losses. The scandal caused a worldwide sensation and shattered confidence in food from China. The World Health Organization characterized the incident as one of the biggest food scandals in the recent past worldwide.
In 2010 melamine-containing dairy products were discovered again in southwest China. As a result, three milk factories in Guizhou Province had to withdraw products from the beginning of 2009.
background
prehistory
Melamine admixtures had already been discovered in animal feed deliveries to the USA in 2007. The feeding resulted in the death of pets in the US from kidney stones and kidney failure, and a nationwide feed recall was initiated in 2007. In this respect, authorities and experts knew about a possible health risk. After the Chinese feed scandal in 2007, the Swedish company Merck SeQuant began to develop measuring techniques for the selective detection of melamine.
Health effects of melamine
Melamine per se is not particularly toxic. However, since it consists of two thirds of nitrogen , it simulates a higher protein content in simple control analyzes according to Kjeldahl , which only measure the nitrogen content but not the actual amino acids , or when amino groups are detected, as in the Kaiser test . The milk powder thus stretched was then circulated. Only when combined with cyanuric acid , a breakdown product of melamine, are kidney stones formed to a considerable extent. It is therefore assumed that in the specific case milk powder was stretched with inferior, impure melamine. The food inspectors also try to exclude other substances that can be used in the panching of protein powder.
The (contaminated) melamine in milk resulted in large amounts of kidney stones and kidney failure in young children . According to the Chinese Ministry of Health, a total of 294,000 infants fell ill in December 2008, some severely from the adulterated dairy products, so that six children died as a result. Two deaths were reported from the central Chinese province of Gansu , one from the neighboring province of Shaanxi and one death each in the provinces of Jiangxi , Zhejiang and Guizhou further south . A total of 51,900 infants had to be hospitalized. 13,000 babies had to be treated in clinics, with 861 children with kidney problems in the hospital in China as of December 2, 2008.
The number of sick infants was raised to just under 300,000 babies in December; previously, the number of babies affected was one fifth of the final figure, according to the Chinese Ministry of Health. Sanlu's milk powder was particularly popular with poor families, so that subsequent treatment costs led to financial problems for them.
The Panschens became known and the scandal emerged
The Chinese Ministry of Health recognized increased kidney stone cases in July and August 2008 respectively. This was particularly the case in Gansu Province , where the first known infant deaths and an excessive number of kidney stones in young children were reported. As a result, the provincial government, led by the national health ministry, launched a full investigation.
In September 2008, von Sanlu admitted that they had added melamine to their products. The New Zealand group Fonterra , which owns 43% of Sanlu, received early indications of possible contamination of the milk, but did not go public with the suspicion until late. Jiang Yu, spokeswoman for the State Department during the scandal, said the central government was only informed about the contaminated milk powder from the New Zealand embassy. The Shijiazhuang authorities reportedly did not find out until August 2, 2008 through a written report. In order not to overshadow the Olympic Games , the incident was only reported to the next higher administrative level a month later. According to information from the Chinese capital Beijing , at least 20 Chinese companies were involved in the melamine scandal, although most of the dairy products are for adults and the concentration was lower than at Sanlu.
The Chinese government admitted in a "resolution on the actions to reorganize the national milk stations" that the administration and controls of the milk collection stations had become "scattered, chaotic and non-transparent" in the past few years. The companies that were under economic pressure took advantage of the chaos and produced milk that is harmful to health. Melamine was also added to pet food in China so that animal products such as eggs also contained melamine.
Global impact
Shortly after the milk scandal broke in China, were also in Germany in an Asian shop in Baden-Wuerttemberg contaminated with melamine milk candy from China discovered. Consumer advocates advised against consuming these products despite their comparatively low concentration. According to the State Department of Consumption , it was White Rabbit branded candy made by Guanshengyuan and sold by Liroy BV . They then recalled the products worldwide, although the consumption of some was classified as harmless.
In the Netherlands and Australia , Koala branded biscuits were pulled from shelves on suspicion of melamine. Sales of these products were also stopped in Hong Kong and Macau , the Chinese special administrative region . Previously, candies were also confiscated in Australia because of melamine components and chocolate products were taken from the shelves in the UK.
Historical parallels
In the USA, parallels are drawn to the swill milk scandal of 1858, in which a significantly increased child mortality rate in New York was attributed to milk that was massively adulterated with plaster of paris, starch, contaminated water and spoiled eggs from cows that were also inadequately fed with distillery waste. In both cases there was great economic growth and, in contrast, a government with little or no willingness to regulate. In the New York case, a functioning (external) public pushed through education and improvements in food control against significant local political opposition.
consequences
Import bans abroad
Many countries in Africa , Europe and Asia have imposed import restrictions on Chinese food and dairy products. In September 2008, the European Union imposed an import ban on dairy products produced in China. Also stopped Indonesia the sale of numerous products including candy brand M & M's and the chocolate bar Snickers . Taiwan stopped selling instant coffee and milk tea packs with contaminated milk powder , which were also imported from China . In Singapore , traces of melamine from the Chinese brand “White Rabbit Creamy Candy” were found and imports were stopped.
For these reasons, according to the newspaper China Daily, exports of Chinese dairy products fell by 92 percent in October 2008 compared to the previous month.
Chinese government response
Convictions
Because of the scandal, numerous people responsible were convicted and some were executed. According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , the penalties are intended to show the government's “determination to tackle food safety problems and get the scandal over with quickly”.
21 people were tried and sentenced, including the former head of the Chinese dairy company, Sanlu Tian W. On November 24, 2009, two people responsible were executed after they had previously been sentenced in January of the same year for “endangering public safety and manufacturing Selling Toxic Food ”were found guilty. One man sentenced to death was Zhang Y, a cattle farmer. His sentence was passed on January 22nd, 2009 in Shijiazhuang, Northern Hebei Province. He ran a laboratory for the production of melamine. A few days later, the dairy operator Geng J. was also executed. The remaining sentences ranged from two years to life imprisonment .
Action against future scandals
As a result of the scandal, the Chinese government announced stricter controls for its products. In the future, central and local departments of the Ministries of Agriculture , Health and Public Safety and the offices of quality control , industry and trade would be responsible. As a result, commissions were set up in more than 30 provinces in the country after the scandal to review and reform the entire system of milk production and milk marketing.
In Qinghai Province , 64 tons of production material and twelve tons of finished milk powder enriched with melamine were found. Around 1,000 cartons of milk powder were found in Jilin that exceeded the permissible limit values for melamine by around 500 times. Both adulterated products were therefore withdrawn from circulation.
compensation
The manufacturers of the contaminated baby food offered a total of 1.1 billion yuan (about 112 million euros) in compensation. However, this offer was rejected by the plaintiffs' attorneys on the grounds that they considered it too low.
A few months after the scandal, the Sanlu Dairy went bankrupt and a Shijiazhuang court approved the bankruptcy filing on December 24, 2008. With this decision there was no compensation for the plaintiffs and high medical bills had to be borne by families themselves. According to the Xinhua news agency , the Shijiazhuang city government wanted the court order to prevent Sanlu from being broken up and the parts of the company being sold to other Chinese milk producers.
Lawyers hired by the families initially refused to accept the lawsuit as they have not yet received instructions on how to deal with the situation. In the end, 200 relatives of deceased or sick children filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court because insufficient compensation had been received (the equivalent of 56,000 to 77,000 euros).
Controversies in China
In the wake of the milk scandal, China's government was also heavily criticized in the country itself and on an unfamiliar scale. It was suspected, among other things, that the Panschen had been known for some time, but that it had been suppressed before the Olympic Games in Beijing. The transparency and clarification promised by the government had not been implemented, and the background to the scandal had by no means been fully clarified despite the convictions.
As recently as September 2008, the Chinese government promised to ensure free treatment in public hospitals for all injured small children. Initially, however, the promise was not always kept. The Chinese government then promised a refund in return for proof of treatment.
There was also controversy about official pressure against a lawyer organization that offered the parents concerned legal help free of charge. The case of Zhao Lianhai, who set up a support group for concerned parents and an information-gathering website and was sentenced to prison for stirring up social unrest, also caused a stir. The human rights organization Amnesty International condemned the sentence.
Discovery of melamine in milk 2010
In 2010, melamine-treated dairy products were again discovered by food inspectors in southwest China, including in ice cream . As a result, three milk factories in Guizhou Province had to withdraw products from the beginning of 2009. Here, too, criticism was leveled at the official controls that claimed the 2008 scandal had been banned. Chinese citizens' confidence in their local products fell again.
Import of foreign milk and foreign milk powder
Since the milk scandal, for example, milk produced in Germany has been much more in demand in China. From 2007 to 2012, the amount of milk exported to China increased a thousandfold because Chinese citizens trust the quality controls in Germany. China is seen by the German dairy industry as a bearer of export hope. Milk powder produced in Germany experienced a similar boom in demand . Due to the high profit margin , a cross-border black market developed .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f The life-threatening fraud with melamine. In: Merck Group, M-Das Entdeckermagazin Online, May 11, 2009, accessed on March 15, 2014.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h The fatal gulp. Süddeutsche Zeitung , May 17, 2010, accessed on February 22, 2014 .
- ↑ Wu Jiao: Checks on animal feed 'tightened' . In: China Daily , November 1, 2008. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
- ^ Human, pet food makers checked for melamine . MSNBC , May 3, 2007
- ↑ Pet Food Recall: How Melamine Impairs Kidney Function . Science Daily
- ↑ Wu Jiao: Checks on animal feed 'tightened' . In: China Daily , November 1, 2008. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Two people responsible for milk scandal executed. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , November 24, 2009, accessed on February 22, 2014 .
- ↑ a b c d e f Court imposes the death penalty. Focus , January 22, 2009, accessed February 22, 2014 .
- ↑ a b c d e f Almost 300,000 children fell ill. Kölnische Rundschau , October 2, 2008, accessed on February 22, 2014 .
- ↑ a b c d Chinese company Sanlu bankrupt after milk scandal. Sächsische Zeitung , December 24, 2008, accessed on February 22, 2014 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g Melamine scandal: Contaminated milk sweets from China emerged in Germany. October 1, 2008, accessed February 22, 2014 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Peter Fischer: Sanlu goes bankrupt. Frankfurter Rundschau , December 26, 2008, accessed on February 22, 2014 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Serious flaws in the Chinese administrative system. Zeit Online , accessed February 22, 2014 .
- ↑ a b c d China: Ex-company boss admits guilt in the milk scandal. Spiegel Online , December 31, 2008, accessed February 22, 2014 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Contaminated sweets also in Germany. N24 , October 1, 2008, accessed February 22, 2014 .
- ↑ Bee Wilson : The Swill is Gone . In: The New York Times , September 29, 2008. Archived from the original on September 30, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2008.
- ↑ a b c Contaminated food: cleaning solution discovered in Chinese milk. Spiegel , June 28, 2012, accessed February 22, 2014 .
- ↑ a b c Harsh verdict for Chinese citizen activists. Berliner Morgenpost , November 10, 2010, accessed on February 22, 2014 .
- ↑ Liwen Zhu: Chinese hunger for German milk powder. (No longer available online.) Bayerischer Rundfunk , August 18, 2013, archived from the original on October 11, 2013 ; accessed on February 22, 2014 .
- ↑ Milk exports China exports are booming. (No longer available online.) The First , October 10, 2013, archived from the original on October 14, 2013 ; accessed on December 15, 2015 .
- ↑ The trail of the white powder . In: Die Zeit , No. 32/2018