Fake milk powder raises questions

THE FOOD and drug authorities responded on Monday to previous reports that more than 170,000 tubs of counterfeit milk powder had been sold into several provinces, saying Shanghai police have investigated the product and found no health risk in the fake milk powder. Beijing Youth Daily commented on Wednesday:

Even if there is no risk to health, still many questions are left unanswered. For instance, the counterfeit milk powder was first exposed last September, why have the results of the investigation only been released now? Also, as the chain to market involves manufacturing, distributing and marketing, how could the fake milk powder end up on the shelves without being detected at any stage?

The answers to those questions relate to information disclosure and the regulating of sales channels. Any problem about formula milk should be guaranteed disclosure to the public without delay. The biggest fear comes from the lack of transparency, which is irresponsible.

As for the sales channel, feasible solutions by many governmental departments or ministries have been launched to tackle the baby formula issue for some years, including opening special counters in drug stores for baby formula. Even so, the questionable milk powder still easily entered the market.

Therefore even though the quality of the mislabeled milk powder has been thoroughly tested and given a clean bill of health, the case deserves more investigation and reflection.