Sample extracts were diluted with deionized (DI) water (5 mL of extract and 5 mL of water), and transferred onto the activated SCX SPE column. [101][102] Heinz recalled cases of baby cereal in Hong Kong after discovering they contained melamine. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis2018,69 , 98-106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2018.02.010. Surplus melamine has been an adulterant for feedstock and milk in mainland China for several years now because it can make diluted or poor quality material appear to be higher in protein content by elevating the total nitrogen content detected by some simple protein tests. According to Xinhua, Tian pleaded guilty, and told the court she learned about the tainted milk complaints from consumers in mid-May. [4][78], There was melamine contamination in 10% of liquid milk samples from Mengniu and Yili, and 6% of those from Bright Dairy. Mobile phase pH affects the charge and hydrophobicity of the stationary phase. Traditionally, media knows to avoid negative news coverage, and CCTV shifted reporting emphasis on the forthcoming launch of Shenzhou VII. [nF 2], Mengniu-Arla, joint-venture between Danish/Swedish co-operative Arla Foods and Mengniu[91][92] halted production on 16 September 2008 after three of 28 tests taken from Mengniu showed traces of melamine; the contaminated batches had been recalled. Retrieved 18 January 2013. It said: "the number of companies with melamine-tainted milk accounted for 20.18% of the total of powdered milk companies in China; the number of tainted batches accounted for 14.05% of the total batches tested. It will mean that this government has lost the most basic level of trust. 2009). [220], Malaysian authorities determined that ammonium bicarbonate, not milk, imported from China was the source of contamination at Khong Guan and Khian Guan biscuit factory. The Beijing Youth Daily reported that farmers had been forced to slaughter tens of thousands of chickens. "[200], In the 10 November 2008 issue of the Singaporean newspaperToday, Bill Durodié, then a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies responded to the possibility of more such incidents in the future due to the more liberal trading relations with China by saying: "exposing the Chinese to the world market is probably the fastest way of addressing these issues. The spokesman said the scale of the problem proved it was "clearly not an isolated accident, [but] a large-scale intentional activity to deceive consumers for simple, basic, short-term profits". Authorities are said to fear social unrest if lawsuits were unleashed. [94], Tokyo-headquartered Lotte Group, a major snacks maker, recalled its Koala's March cookies in Hong Kong and Macau because of contamination, and promised to "look deeply into all the details of the manufacturing process" to preserve customer confidence. Baker (Phillipsburg, NJ). [citation needed], A State Council investigation revealed Sanlu began receiving complaints about sick infants as far back as December 2007, but did no tests until June 2008. It says the crisis of confidence among Chinese consumers would be hard to overcome. [113][114], The scandal led to an erosion of trust in locally produced infant formula and from then on, many Shenzhen residents and parallel traders travelled across the border to purchase powdered milk from Hong Kong shops. The scandal involved milk and infant formula along with other food materials and components being adulterated with melamine. Melamine itself is nitrogen-rich and is sometimes illegally added to food products to increase their apparent protein content. [83], On 1 December, China's Ministry of Health issued an update, saying nearly 300,000 babies were sickened after consuming melamine-contaminated infant formula. Some manufacturers in China illegally added melamine, an ingredient used in plastics manufacturing, to increase the apparent protein content of low-quality milk. As part of its ongoing effort to find and destroy any melamine-tainted milk remaining on the market, the Chinese government announced that it was recalling 170 tons of powdered milk laced with the industrial chemical which was supposed to have been destroyed or buried in 2008 but has recently found to have been repackaged and placed back into the marketplace. One was already filed in Henan. Neither received definitive replies. A 1000-µg/mL melamine stock standard was prepared by accurately weighing approximately 100 mg of melamine into a 100-mL volumetric flask and bringing to volume with aqueous methanol (50%, v/v). At a pH below the pKa of the stationary phase carboxylate group, the hydrophobic interaction is the primary retention mechanism. On 31 October, it announced the opening of a $10.2 million Beijing research and development centre, to "serve as the base and the reference in food safety for Nestlé in Greater China". [15] Farmers report salespeople had, for years, been visiting farms in dairy areas hawking "protein powder" additives, which would often be delivered in unmarked brown paper bags of 25 kilograms (55 lb) each. [6], In late October 2008, similar adulteration with melamine was discovered in eggs and possibly other food. [154] Some mainlanders were also reportedly rushing to import infant formula from Kinmen. [236], For verification purposes, the following are relevant citations in Chinese from the Caijing article dated 29 September 2008[237], For verification purposes, the following are relevant citations in Chinese from the Nanfang Daily article dated 9 October 2008[238], United States Food and Drug Administration. [46] According to the People's Daily, Sanlu wrote a letter to Shijiazhuang city government on 2 August 2008, asking for help to "increase control and coordination of the media, to create a good environment for the recall of the company's problem products ... to avoid whipping up the issue and creating a negative influence in society". "[133], Following a spate of mass national bans, the WHO urged national food safety authorities on 25 September 2008 to test Chinese dairy products for health risks before slapping on import bans or recalls. They declared to "harshly crack down on the unlawful behaviour of illegally manufacturing, selling and using melamine". Introduced into milk, it can help conceal fraudulent dilution with water. He claims he was told by the official to "follow the arrangements set out by the government", and was further threatened: "If this suggestion is disobeyed, the lawyer and the firm will be dealt with. After 1 min of vortex shaking, each was placed in an ultrasonic bath for 30 min. "按照目前的三聚氰胺价格，在饲料甚至原料奶中添加这种物质，从经济上而言并不合算。如果奶粉或者液态奶中出现的三聚氰胺是由于添加三聚氰胺废料引起，那么值得担心的不仅仅是这种物质", "中國奶業協會常務理事王丁棉向記者透露,事件對伊利、蒙牛、光明這三大品牌一線企業的打擊與影響,是較嚴重的。 " 他们的近期产品销售业绩已一落千丈,跌至同期数据的30%–40%。就全国乳品行业而言,它所受到的负面影响也是很大的,此场危机的最低谷波峰期可能要维持至2至3个月之久,至明年中期前仍会处于一个恢复期中。过了恢复期,市场应该开始有明显的反弹,整个事件的阴影淡化直到出现全面的复苏,也许还需要1至 2年的时间。但复苏的速度完全取决于消费者消费信心的恢复与树立。” [32], Urinary calculi specimens were collected from 15 cases treated in Beijing and were analysed as unknown objects for their components at Beijing Institute of Microchemistry using infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and high-performance liquid chromatography. [146] Chang said that Henan's justice department had ordered 14 Henan lawyers to stop helping the kidney stone victims, saying it had become a political issue. [28], In late October, the government announced health officials had surveyed 300,000 Beijing families with children less than 3 years old. The RP-PIC (paired ion chromatography) method is also not compatible with MS detection. Melamine-contaminated milk can lead to kidney failure in infants. [93], Mengniu, milk supplier to Starbucks, was replaced by Vitasoy when the coffee retailer eschewed milk in favour of soya milk in its China operations. [198], The hopeful news in all this is that in the process of creating so much toxicity both the distressed loans and the distressed food are teaching us important lessons about the limits of scale and regulation that support the massive globalisation of the last decade. Kidney stones in infants started being reported in several parts of China in the past two years. Investigators also blamed the Shijiazhuang government. Under pressure, melamine releases water, which could make the plastic unstable if it is not removed. China Retail News, From AQSIS source. [202] One analyst, Willy Lam, a Senior Fellow at The Jamestown Foundation, indicated that CCP's pervasive control over political and economic resources has resulted in the absence of meaningful systematic checks and balances. [168] Formally, the State Council released its initial findings,[46] and a top-level official apology of the incident both came on 21 September. "[203], Access Asia, a Shanghai-based consumer consultancy, said Fonterra was a classic example of western executives in China "believ[ing] advice in business books that they must avoid making their local partners 'lose face' at all costs". [231] On 25 January 2010, it was reported that three food companies from Hebei, Liaoning and Shandong provinces had produced melamine tainted products in March and April 2009 and that the three companies were banned from selling products in Guizhou. The Sri Lankan manufacturer of Munchee Lemon Puff biscuits, having tested positive in Switzerland, categorically stated that its powdered milk or milk products were sourced only from Australia, the Netherlands and Canada;[212] similarly, Pokka products without milk or its derivatives from China were found by Vietnamese authorities to be contaminated. [21], The WHO referred to the incident as one of the largest food safety events it has had to deal with in recent years. [130], The World Health Organization, which was only notified on 11 September,[131] asked Beijing why it took so many months for the scandal to become public, and to establish whether failure was deliberate or due to ignorance. He said that it was "intolerable" for government to interfere in the affairs of the judiciary, denying the right of ordinary citizens to sue. [196] Lawyer Bill Marler, speaking at a food safety conference in Beijing, said that this food scare has harmed the "made in China" brand abroad. Nestlé Chief Technology Officer said the centre was equipped with "highly sophisticated analytical tools for detecting trace amounts of residues and undesirable compounds like melamine or veterinary drugs or natural toxins". Other types of melamine contamination, separate from using tableware, have been in the news. He remarked: "If this product had gotten into the United States, it would have been 'game over' for a lot of products in China. Experiments revealed that melamine is poorly retained when the pH is lower than 3.5. [209], Because of the high Chinese demand for quality Australian products, major Australian retailers implemented tin limits to control sales of baby formula, but reports of daigou shoppers flouting the system with people taking multiple tins of the formula before they’d been placed on shelves, and the daigou shoppers stripping shelves in groups of up to eight people, before Australian mothers could access the baby food. The World Health Organization (WHO) said melamine may be found "in a variety of milk and milk products at varying levels, from low ppb to ppm ranges". [33], In a study published in 2010, researchers from Peking University studying ultrasound images of infants who fell ill in the 2008 contamination found while most children in a rural Chinese area recovered, 12 percent still showed kidney abnormalities six months later. A new policy was put in place on 17 September to stop that practice. [214] The South Korean supplies were traced to two companies in Dalian. Most RP methods for melamine use an ion-pairing reagent, such as octane sulfate. [126], The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said while food containing melamine below 2.5 parts per million generally did not raise concerns, its scientists were "currently unable to establish any level of melamine and melamine-related compounds in infant formula that does not raise public health concerns". [59] Li Changjiang, minister in charge of the AQSIQ, was forced to resign on 22 September after the State Council inquest concluded he was responsible for the "negligence in supervision". The rewards are instant, and it's not always easy for consumers to detect the difference between the pure and the doctored—particularly with a substance like milk, which we have been taught to trust implicitly. However, the ion-pairing reagent may coat the RP stationary phase, changing the retention property of the RP column, which may not be desirable if the column is used for other methods. Liquid milk samples #9-10 (approximately 10 mL) were accurately measured into 15-mL centrifuge tubes, diluted with 1 mL dilute HAc (3%, v/v), and stored at 4 °C for at least 30 min. The companies still rely on small-scale farmers for over 90% of their production because of the capacity constraint of the modern facilities. [128] In late November, after FDA found traces of melamine in one Nestle and one Mead Johnson infant product, the FDA concluded melamine or cyanuric acid alone, "at or below 1 part per million in infant formula do not raise public health concerns" in babies. You can't cure the disease, or save the Chinese people, until you get to the root of the problem." 2010). This incident made me feel sad, though many Chinese have been understanding. More recently melamine has been found to be contaminating human foods, in particular milk powder, milk and yoghurt and was reported to have been used in 22 brands of infant formula. They were quoted as saying the perpetrators of the milk scandal responsible for the death of their child deserved to "die a thousand deaths". [179], On 16 September, the AQSIQ tests on baby milk powder produced by 109 companies showed 69 batches from 22 companies to be melamine-contaminated; the State Council attempted to reassure that formula produced by most companies in China was safe. The Chinese market has grown at an average annual rate of 23% since 2000. [218], Agriculture officials speculated that adulterated feed given to hens could explain melamine in eggs. [65], During the week of 22 December 2008, 17 people involved in producing, selling, buying and adding melamine in raw milk went on trial. "The tainted baby formula scandal was exposed on 16 July after 16 babies who were fed on milk made from powder produced by Hebei Province-based Sanlu Group in northwest China's Gansu Province were found to have developed kidney stones". [72] On 24 September, Fonterra announced it had written down the carrying value of its investment by NZ$139 million (two-thirds), reflecting the costs of product recall and the impairment of the 'Sanlu' brand because of the "criminal contamination of milk". Citing public consensus that government should limit itself to a supervisory role, it urged the construction of a regulatory system which addressed the role of regulators watching over the production process, avoiding over-regulation, 'regulatory capture' and abuse of power by regulators. The Association estimates the financial effect of the order of ¥20 billion, and forecasts that confidence may take up to two years to be fully restored. For milk powder samples #6-8, spiked samples were prepared by adding 40 µL of the stock standard solution of melamine to the 15-mL centrifuge tubes together with the weighed sample, and then following the second procedure above. After 1 min of vortex shaking, samples were placed in an ultrasonic bath for 30 min, and then shaken again for 10 min. [176] During an investigation into melamine contamination at Yili and Mengniu in Hohhot, police arrested six more people for allegedly selling and mixing melamine into raw milk. ", ... Everyone knows that at present average production facilities use large quantities of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Melamine is a hydrophilic compound that is poorly retained on a typical RP column (e.g., C18 or C8 column). [29], Because of the many months before the scandal was exposed, the media suggest the official figures are likely to be understated. All of them had been fed milk powder that was later found to have been adulterated with a toxic industrial compound called melamine. It said Sanlu's baby formula melamine content was a result of tampering by adding low-cost vegetable protein (such as low-grade soya powder), and large amounts of scrap melamine as filler. 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