Melamine Tainted Milk Resurfaces in Chinese Pig Farms

Melamine tainted milk has once again reappeared in China. A recent investigation by the Chongqing Evening News, shows piglets are being fed tainted milk, containing up to 515 times more the amount set by Chinese safety standards.

Because sow-milk is scarce in large pig farms, piglets are often fed milk powder instead. Over two tons of tainted milk powder was sold to at least five pig farms in China.

Chongqing Evening News said authorities were aware of the problem since October, but did nothing, until eight months later when the media reported it.

The poisoned milk was bought and sold for a very cheap price. It was finally reported by a buyer at a pig farm. He said he became suspicious after the pigs began experiencing what looked like food poisoning symptoms. He then sent a sample for inspection.

The tests, carried out last October, showed that the powder at its worst, contained 1288.1-milligram of melamine for every kilogram of milk, putting it 515 times above the legal 2.5-milligram safety limit.

Melamine tainted milk was a serious problem three years ago in the Sanlu scandal that killed several infants and poisoned hundreds of thousands. This latest report shows that the Chinese authorities have yet to prevent the use of poison in food.

Many mainlanders are no longer taking chances with their infant products, sticking to imported goods from abroad for safety reasons.