China says dairy farms tainted baby formula

BEIJING — Investigators believe dairy farmers added a dangerous chemical to milk that has been linked to kidney stones in dozens of babies and one death in China's latest product safety scandal.

The government vowed "serious punishment" on Friday after China's biggest milk powder producer recalled 700 tons of baby formula. The official Xinhua News Agency said the powder was tainted with melamine, a toxic chemical used in plastics that contaminated pet food last year.

U.S. authorities warned American consumers to avoid all Chinese infant formula. Although Chinese formula is not approved for import into the United States, it might be sold at ethnic grocery stores, the Food and Drug Administration said.

A New Zealand company that owns a stake in the Chinese producer said it believed none of the powder was exported from China.

The producer, Sanlu Group, knew about the contamination Aug. 6 but refrained from telling the public, said a company manager, Su Changsheng, quoted on the Web site of Caijing, a leading Chinese business magazine. Su said Sanlu kept silent because some grocers refused to return tainted powder.

A separate Xinhua report said investigators believed dairy farmers were to blame. People who answered the phone at Sanlu said managers were not available to comment.

Authorities are questioning 78 people suspected in the contamination, Xinhua said.

"The suspects added water to the milk they sold to Sanlu to make more money," Xinhua said, citing deputy mayor Zhao Xinchao of Shijiazhuang, the city where Sanlu is based. "They also added melamine so that the diluted milk could still meet standards."

Su, the Sanlu manager, said the chemical might have been added to make the milk's protein content appear higher, according to Caijing. Melamine is nitrogen-rich, and standard tests for protein in bulk food ingredients measure levels of nitrogen.

"Those responsible will face serious punishment," said a Health Ministry spokesman, Mao Qunan, quoted by Xinhua.

The tainted formula sent 59 babies in northwest China's Gansu province — most less than a year old — to the hospital and one baby died, Xinhua reported. Other cases were also being reported across the country.

Investigators found melamine in the urine and kidney stones of the sick babies, Xinhua said, citing a government investigation team.