As the Chinese dairy industry has grown, so too has its need for high quality bull semen, leading Chinese dairy farms to look overseas and at Canada in particular. We'll try to go easy on the gags about Western bulls hooking up with Chinese cows, promise. more ›

Mengniu, one of the largest dairy producers in China and a culprit in the 2008 melamine scandal, has been caught with tainted milk once again. Carcinogenic toxins were found in their milk last week, and last night their website was hacked, presumably in response to the contamination. more ›

We heard about these genetically modified cows a few months ago, created to pump out human breast milk for eventual retail in China. Check out this video from Sky News Beijing detailing the process. According to the milk makers, the modified milk is stronger and sweeter than normal cow's milk, is antibacterial, and can help boost the immune system! more ›

"THREE children died from food poisoning yesterday in Pingliang, northwest Gansu Province and 35 others were hospitalized after they drank contaminated milk. Most of the 35 were children under 14 now being treated at two hospitals in Pingliang City, according to Xinhua, citing the local government and health bureau. Initial investigation showed their poisoning symptoms were caused by sodium nitrite in the milk, Xinhua reported today. The victims were admitted to the Pingliang No. 2 Hospital and the People's Hospital. They are in stable condition. Two dairy farms which supplied the contaminated milk have been closed down and police have placed their mangers under control. Investigation into the accident is going on." [Shanghai Daily] more ›

Mengniu can't seem to catch a break: first there was that whole melamine scare two years ago and now police are investigating its involvement in spreading false rumors that its competitors' products made babies to grow breasts. more ›

Wow, were the Sanlu trials over this quick? It's been only two months since we first heard about the charges brought against Shanghai Panda Dairy Co., which was accused of deliberately reselling melamine-tainted milk (that they got from the 2008 toxic milk powder scandal, natch), and three people have already been sentenced. Wang Yuechao, ex-rep and deputy GM of Shanghai Panda was given a five year sentence and a 400,000RMB fine. Hong Qide, former GM, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years and fined 300,000RMB. Chen Dehua, a deputy GM, will be in the clinker for three years and will pay 200,000RMB. Will the melamine = fast track to jail message resonate with others hoping to profiteer off the toxic substance? Hope so, though with other cases popping up around the country, it's hard to say. more ›

Four people have been arrested in Northern China in response to a crackdown on milk products tainted with melamine, the same industrial chemical held responsible for six deaths and sickening 300,000 in 2008. more ›

With a name as cute as the Shanghai Panda Dairy Company, you would imagine their milk would be at least innocuous, if not cuddly and adorable. Unfortunately, that's not the case: the same company was indicted in the 2008 melamine milk scandals that killed six infants and sickened hundreds of thousands more was caught again for diluting their products with melamine. Though the factories have been shut, products recalled, and three of their top executives jailed, it seems that the government inspection agencies in charge of removing the tainted milk from shelves around town haven't done the best job at informing the public. So, if you're even considering buying Chinese milk powder, make sure to check the label first for any prominently placed pandas. more ›

A Chinese mother is producing so much breast milk that she bathes her baby in the excess every day. The mother said she usually ends up producing two liters more milk than her six-week-old daughter needs to drink, so the family has been finding clever ways to get rid of it. At first, she, her husband and her mother-in-law took turns drinking the extra milk. But when there was still plenty left over, they began giving the baby milk baths, which have made the baby's skin very smooth and white. Source: Ananova more ›

A Chinese court handed down the sentences for three of the people involved in the contaminated milk scandal, and it wasn't pretty. Zhang Yujun, the head of a workshop that was allegedly China's largest source of melamine, and Geng Jiping, a melamine powder buyer and reseller, were both given the death penalty. more ›

Beginning Jan 1, Mengniu, one of China's leading dairy firms, has launched a new advertising campaign entitled "Happy Niu Year" which is scheduled to run on television, in print and online, all the way through to Feb 9. The word "Niu" is a play on the Chinese word "牛" which means cow (as well as ox and bull) and this year happens to be the Year of the Bull. This is the first major ad campaign by a Chinese dairy company since the melamine scandal struck late last year. The television commercial for this campaign follows after the jump more ›

On Sept 26, in Tianjin at the World Economic Forum, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson drank a glass of milk (click to see video) in front of the media to show his support for the Chinese dairy industry and said:

The Europeans will continue to expect the highest standards, just as Chinese consumers are demanding the same…. But in the meantime I shall continue drinking my own favorite, er, milk, er, product, er, er, which I enjoy and which does not make me nervous.

Wen said he was very moved when he saw in television European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson drinking a cup of Chinese milk on Friday to show his trust in China-made products. “It's because he not only sees the present, but the future as well,” Wen said.

"Over the past few days, Peter Mandelson has been experiencing some kidney pain," a spokesman said. more ›

"Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said India and China are working on the details of a framework agreement to help resolve the complicated boundary issue between the two countries." more ›

AP: Cadbury has recalled 11 types of China-made candy in Hong Kong although it has not been confirmed that melamine has been found in those products. Supermarkets have also been pulling Oreo's, M&M's and Snickers off the shelves after Indonesia found traces of melamine in those products. Will these products be taken down in China next? (Update: Cadbury is pulling its chocolates off shelves on the mainland now)
more ›

"Carrefour SA, Europe's biggest retailer, said its dairy sales in China fell by 50 percent after government tests showed chemical tainting of milk products. " more ›

From Reuters:

UP TO five per cent of infants in Shanghai could have kidney stones after drinking tainted milk formula, media reported on Friday, as publicity surrounding the scandal was muted by China's manned space launch. more ›

From Danwei:

This series of spoof Sanlu ads is getting scrubbed from video sharing sites. Here's a copy from Ku6. The country bumpkin voice-over parodies the original ads, saying that Sanlu powder guarantees kidney stones.

Reuters reports that the use of melamine is "rampant among farmers and feed-ingredient manufacturers". The words of Sun Erwu,a feedmill owner in Hebei province, which is at the centre of the milk powder scandal, are enough to send tingles down our spine, and raise questions over what is happening to the entire food chain in China:

"It is like a chain... If cows are fed with poor feed and produce lower-protein milk, dairy plants will not accept the milk, so many add melamine," Sun told Reuters on the sidelines of a grains conference. more ›

Photo from Marc van der Chijs more ›

Looks like our earlier warning to not eat or drink anything with dairy content for the time being bears repeating. Singapore has now found traces of melamine in White Rabbit candies, wildly popular throughout Asia. The Straits Times reports:

Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said samples of White Rabbit-brand Creamy Candy imported from China were contaminated with melamine, an industrial chemical that can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure. more ›

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Okay, stop drinking milk now, all of you, or anything that has any form of dairy content in it — unless it comes from some foreign brand. While four babies have already died from Sanlu's tainted milk powder, and over 6,000 remain sick (including over 150 critically ill), the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) has now announced that liquid milk sold by three top Chinese producers has also been found to be tainted with melamine. From AP:

A report posted on the agency's Web site said test results show nearly 10 per cent of samples taken from Mengniu Dairy Group and Yili Industrial Group - China's two largest dairy companies - contained up to 8.4 milligrammes of melamine per kilogramme. more ›

Welcome to the latest episode of Chinese Soundbites, a podcast series brought to you by ChinesePod and Shanghaiist. Every week we'll be bringing you topics and words pulled straight from the headlines, in Mandarin Chinese. more ›

• Zhang Zhenling, Sanlu's vice president, has made a public apology (see video on right) but did not explain why the company took so long to take proper measures in letting the public know about the contamination.
• A second baby has died and 1,253 infants have been diagnosed with illnesses linked to the contaminated milk powder. The Health Ministry expects a 'possibly rising' toll. (Update: Three babies have died, more than 6,244 others have fallen ill, with 158 strickened with kidney failure)
• Sanlu Group has sacked Tian Wenhua, the board chairwoman and general manager of the group. Tian has also been stripped from her post as the secretary of the corporation committee of the Communist Party of China.

Anxious parents queue up yesterday afternoon at Sanlu Milk's main distribution centre in Ruzhou, Henan (河南汝州) to return the infant milk powder they bought from the company. The queues spilt over into the streets and caused massive traffic jams. more ›