https://www.scmp.com/rss/48358/feed Sanlu Group was a state-owned Chinese dairy products company in which New Zealand-based dairy cooperative Fonterra held a 43 per cent stake. In 2008, Sanlu was hit by a scandal over milk powder adulteration with melamine, affecting thousands of Chinese babies, with six dying. It was declared bankrupt in 2008 and several managers were sent to prison. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com French baby-milk maker Lactalis on Thursday ordered the recall of all of the production of one of its factories since February over fears of possible contamination with salmonella. Lactalis, one of the world’s top dairy producers, had already recalled around 7,000 tonnes of infant formula milk two weeks ago. But in what it described as “a precautionary measure” on Thursday, it had now decided – in consultation with the health authorities – to recall “all infant formula and nutritional products... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2125291/new-recall-lactalis-baby-milk-over-salmonella-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2125291/new-recall-lactalis-baby-milk-over-salmonella-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Dec 2017 08:19:33 +0000 Activists and parents reacted with anger and concern after reports that several senior officials found negligent in the melamine milk scandal had taken up important new posts even though many victims had yet to fully recover. In 2009, a number of central and Shijiazhuang officials were sacked or punished by the authorities over the tainted milk, with city mayor Ji Chuntang and two deputy mayors, Zhang Fawang and Zhao Xinchao, removed from office. Ji has since been appointed deputy head of... https://www.scmp.com/article/990683/disgraced-dairy-scandal-officials-given-top-jobs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/990683/disgraced-dairy-scandal-officials-given-top-jobs?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000 A senior Hebei official dismissed over the melamine-tainted baby formula scandal in 2008 has returned - appearing at an important Communist Party meeting in the province, state media reports. Wu Xianguo, former party boss of Shijiazhuang and a former member of the standing committee of the Communist Party in Hebei, appears to be the latest in a string of sacked officials returning to political roles. According to Xinhuanet.com, the online version of the central government's mouthpiece, Wu... https://www.scmp.com/article/985754/tainted-milk-official-back-partys-good-books?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/985754/tainted-milk-official-back-partys-good-books?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:00:00 +0000 When strange tales of copper to cash merge into investing in property We hear of a curious tale involving copper and China's property market. Rich Chinese looking to invest in domestic property run up against banks which are under government orders to cut lending for property speculation. To get around this difficulty, according to the Evening Standard of London, punters instead get a loan to buy copper, sell the metal for cash and invest the proceeds in the property market. The paper tells... https://www.scmp.com/article/970935/lai-see?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/970935/lai-see?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:00:00 +0000 If happiness is a measure of economic success, as China's 12th five-year plan affirms, we could be in trouble. Hongkongers, while rich, are among the least happy in the nation, according to an annual study by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences - the central government's top think tank. The city was named the most competitive in China for the sixth year in a row, but it dropped 73 places to 271st out of 294 cities on an index measuring people's happiness. The annual survey covers the... https://www.scmp.com/article/967051/hk-bastion-unhappiness-thats-rich?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/967051/hk-bastion-unhappiness-thats-rich?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 May 2011 16:00:00 +0000 The parents of four mainland babies made ill by melamine-tainted milk powder were denied leave to appeal against a ruling that they may not claim compensation from Fonterra Brands (China), a Hong Kong-incorporated company with a 43 per cent stake in Sanlu Dairy Group, the company at the centre of the scandal. Small Claims Tribunal adjudicator Ada Yim Shun-yee said because the affair took place on the mainland, a court there would be more suitable to hear the parents' claim. Melamine, an... https://www.scmp.com/article/721509/tribunal-rejects-melamine-milk-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/721509/tribunal-rejects-melamine-milk-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Aug 2010 16:00:00 +0000 Parents of four babies affected by tainted dairy products, left with no means to claim compensation on the mainland since the manufacturer at the centre of scandal went bankrupt last year, have taken their claim to a Hong Kong tribunal. They sued Brands (China), a Hong Kong incorporated company that had a 43 per cent stake in now-bankrupt Sanlu Dairy Group which was found culpable for producing melamine-laced diary products. Zhou Xiong, Li Jieli, Chen Lu and Ye Hongbo had asked Fonterra Brands... https://www.scmp.com/article/719622/parents-poisoned-babies-continue-fight-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/719622/parents-poisoned-babies-continue-fight-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:00:00 +0000 Could another health crisis like the melamine contamination case happen again? How was it allowed to happen in the first place? There were many causes: simple greed and ignorance, a porous food-safety monitoring system, and company executives and government officials keen to cover up a scandal that might affect profits and tarnish the country's image at the crucial time of the Beijing Olympics. As facts have emerged, it has become clear that opportunities to act earlier were missed. Sanlu,... https://www.scmp.com/article/691668/food-safety-standards-improved-after-crisis-tarnished-nations-image?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/691668/food-safety-standards-improved-after-crisis-tarnished-nations-image?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:00:00 +0000 Administrative enforcement is a better way to resolve food safety problems than litigation, a senior Health Ministry official said yesterday as a highly anticipated food safety law came into effect. 'At this stage of our country's development, administrative enforcement is still very important,' Su Zhi, deputy director of the ministry's Food Safety Co-ordination and Hygiene Supervision Bureau, said during an online chat explaining the new law. 'Perhaps several years from now - when the... https://www.scmp.com/article/682276/law-gives-official-food-thought?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/682276/law-gives-official-food-thought?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:00:00 +0000 The core assets of the disgraced state-owned dairy giant Sanlu Group were bought by Beijing-based Sanyuan Foods yesterday for 616.5 million yuan (HK$700 million) in a five-minute auction held in a courthouse in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province. Sanlu was one of 22 mainland dairies whose products were found laced with the industrial chemical melamine in September. Six babies died and nearly 300,000 fell ill. Sanlu was declared bankrupt in February, and former chairman Tian Wenhua was jailed for... https://www.scmp.com/article/672084/dairy-assets-sold-616m-yuan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/672084/dairy-assets-sold-616m-yuan?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:00:00 +0000 A senior Supreme People's Court official's promise that mainland courts were ready to accept civil claims over the melamine milk scandal offered a ray of hope for victims' families, lawyers said yesterday. During a live webcast on People .com.cn on Monday, deputy court president Shen Deyong said more than 95 per cent of the 300,000 families affected by the tainted formula had accepted payouts from dairy companies, but a small number of families wanted to pursue compensation claims through... https://www.scmp.com/article/671975/top-court-officials-vow-gives-hope-families-milk-scandal-victims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/671975/top-court-officials-vow-gives-hope-families-milk-scandal-victims?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:00:00 +0000 Twelve Taiwanese companies will seek NT$700 million (HK$162 million) from two mainland dairies involved in the tainted milk scandal. One company is seeking compensation from Sanlu Group, which has filed for bankruptcy, the Central News Agency quoted a spokesman for Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council as saying on Thursday. The rest will sue a Shandong dairy that produced tainted milk cream, the agency said. A court in Shijiazhuang , Hebei , sentenced former Sanlu Group chairwoman Tian Wenhua to... https://www.scmp.com/article/668002/taiwanese-companies-seek-compensation-mainland-dairies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/668002/taiwanese-companies-seek-compensation-mainland-dairies?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:00:00 +0000 State-run broadcasting giant CCTV has hit the headlines with a string of reports that, taken together, reveal some of the contradictions of today's changing media scene. According to the Chinese-language Ming Pao Daily News, a group of 22 mainland academics and lawyers launched a campaign last week under the slogan 'Boycott CCTV, say no to brainwashing'. The signatories have called on people 'not to watch, visit the website, listen to and talk about [CCTV broadcasts]'. They alleged CCTV has... https://www.scmp.com/article/667685/free-press-best-route-credibility?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/667685/free-press-best-route-credibility?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:00:00 +0000 The central government yesterday blacklisted 17 food additives and named 10 kinds of food that could contain excessive additives. The lists, issued by the Ministry of Health, the Public Security Bureau and seven other ministries under the direction of the central government, were part of a four-month nationwide food-safety campaign to restore consumer confidence. A government notice said food manufacturers and restaurants would be punished for adding illegal chemicals or having excessive... https://www.scmp.com/article/663994/beijing-bans-17-food-additives?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/663994/beijing-bans-17-food-additives?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:00:00 +0000 The mainland's announcement of a more-than-fivefold jump in the number of babies made ill by melamine-tainted milk powder was yet another sad reminder to parents whose children were affected and who have tried in vain to sue for compensation. On Monday, for the first time since September, the Ministry of Health updated the figure for the number of babies affected by tainted milk powder made by Hebei's Sanlu Group and other dairy companies. The ministry said six babies might have died, up from... https://www.scmp.com/article/662593/long-wait-victims-tainted-milk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/662593/long-wait-victims-tainted-milk?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:00:00 +0000 Judge refuses to accept lawsuit until guidelines are issued from top A court in Lanzhou , Gansu province , has said it cannot accept a lawsuit over the Sanlu infant formula scandal until it knows whether authorities have issued guidelines on how to deal with the sensitive topic. The issue has prompted concern about judicial independence. Shanghai-based lawyer Dong Junming filed a 1 million yuan (HK$1.13 million) lawsuit in Lanzhou Intermediate Court on Monday on behalf of the parents of... https://www.scmp.com/article/656430/sanlu-court-action-put-hold?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/656430/sanlu-court-action-put-hold?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:00:00 +0000 The mainland's biggest soft-drink maker, the Hangzhou Wahaha Group, says it has submitted a letter of interest in buying the troubled Sanlu Group, whose products triggered the industry-wide milk contamination scandal. The move makes Wahaha the first company to publicly voice interest in Sanlu, though several mid-sized mainland dairy firms have started positioning themselves to take over the former dairy giant. Wahaha has received much publicity for its ongoing business dispute with estranged... https://www.scmp.com/article/656151/soft-drink-firm-considers-bid-sanlu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/656151/soft-drink-firm-considers-bid-sanlu?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:00:00 +0000 At least three mid-sized mainland dairy companies have expressed interest in bailing out the troubled Sanlu Group, whose products triggered the industry-wide milk contamination scandal, according to an industry source. It is the latest development in Sanlu's fate, after the government had asked Beijing Sanyuan Foods to look into 'an acquisition' as a way to protect dairy farmers' interests last month. That acquisition was widely believed to be Sanlu. 'The negotiation between Sanyuan and Sanlu... https://www.scmp.com/article/655636/three-firms-allegedly-angling-buy-sanlu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/655636/three-firms-allegedly-angling-buy-sanlu?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:00:00 +0000 A spokesman for the government of the Hebei city where disgraced dairy firm Sanlu is based said the company had lobbied municipal authorities to cover up the company's milk contamination, delaying the first news reports of the scandal. In an interview with the People's Daily, Shijiazhuang spokesman Wang Jianguo said the Sanlu Group had asked the city government as early as August 2 to help 'manage' negative news reports that melamine in its milk powder products had made infants ill. Sanlu... https://www.scmp.com/article/654788/sanlu-lobbied-officials-cover-milk-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/654788/sanlu-lobbied-officials-cover-milk-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:00:00 +0000 The ethics of major internet content providers on the mainland are being closely scrutinised after they reportedly took money to censor content in the interests of dairy firms. The Southern Metropolis News reported yesterday that Sina and Sohu, two of the country's major web portals, agreed to co-operate with Sanlu Group, the firm at the centre of the milk powder scandal. Quoting unidentified sources, the paper said the two companies had promised 'not to run any negative reports about Sanlu... https://www.scmp.com/article/653778/portals-scrutinised-over-favours-dairy-firms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/653778/portals-scrutinised-over-favours-dairy-firms?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:00:00 +0000 Wang Yong , an obscure name before this week, has found himself in the hot seat as the new chief of China's beleaguered product and food safety watchdog, in the wake of the snowballing toxic milk scandal. The 53-year-old Liaoning native was named deputy minister of the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission in 2003 and promoted to deputy secretary general of the State Council six months ago. From Monday, the little-known bureaucrat was suddenly put into one of the... https://www.scmp.com/article/653777/new-chief-food-safety-watchdog-hot-seat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/653777/new-chief-food-safety-watchdog-hot-seat?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:00:00 +0000 Litigation could lead to unrest, say cadres Authorities in some provinces have warned lawyers to refuse cases tied to tainted milk out of fear litigation could lead to 'social unrest', a representative of the lawyers says. Organisers of a group of 90 lawyers who have offered free legal advice to needy parents affected by the crisis said judicial departments in some provinces had pressured them to stay clear of the issue. Veteran rights lawyer Li Fangping said officials either asked the ... https://www.scmp.com/article/653669/lawyers-warned-shun-milk-suits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/653669/lawyers-warned-shun-milk-suits?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:00:00 +0000 Mainland dairies whose products were contaminated with melamine have lost their prestigious 'quality check exemption' as the deepening scandal again puts the controversial scheme under scrutiny. The scheme was introduced in August 2000 by the quality watchdog - the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine - and exempts a wide range of products from rigid and routine inspections for three years if they pass three assessments in a row. Most of the 22 companies... https://www.scmp.com/article/653036/dairies-lose-quality-check-exemption-inspections?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/653036/dairies-lose-quality-check-exemption-inspections?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:00:00 +0000 Parents vent anger, frustration over poisoning of children Holding her 10-month son in her arms at a Beijing children's hospital, Zhao Shuping cries as she tells how angry and shocked she is to learn the milk powder her son has been drinking could kill him. 'I couldn't fall asleep last night,' Mrs Zhao said. 'I feel so bad for having fed my baby toxic milk since the day he was born. Living on the mainland, we sort of know that our food is always contaminated, but doing this to a vulnerable... https://www.scmp.com/article/653037/greedy-men-shameless-says-mum-who-fed-baby-bad-milk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/653037/greedy-men-shameless-says-mum-who-fed-baby-bad-milk?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:00:00 +0000 More heads rolled yesterday over tainted milk powder, as another official was fired and authorities detained the sacked chairwoman of Sanlu Group, the milk company at the centre of the widening storm. Ji Chuntang , the mayor and deputy party chief of Shijiazhuang , Hebei province , where Sanlu is based, was sacked after the city government failed to react to a notification of the contamination by Sanlu's New Zealand stakeholder. 'The officials didn't realise [the graveness of the... https://www.scmp.com/article/653040/mayor-sacked-and-former-sanlu-chief-held?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/653040/mayor-sacked-and-former-sanlu-chief-held?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:00:00 +0000 Beijing officials declared the Paralympics a success yesterday. They also said tight security checks and traffic controls would be in place today for the Games' closing ceremony. But city traffic authorities ruled out an extension of traffic restrictions, despite their popularity with environmentalists. 'The Beijing Paralympics received wide praise and applause from both within the country and abroad, and Beijing has fulfilled its promise to the world [to host an excellent Paralympics],'... https://www.scmp.com/article/652919/officials-declare-games-success?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/652919/officials-declare-games-success?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:00:00 +0000 Mainland hospitals have yet to implement a State Council order to provide free treatment to the babies who fell ill after drinking contaminated infant formula produced by Sanlu, a group of mainland lawyers offering free advice to victims said yesterday. In calling for swift implementation of the order, the group also revealed that some early cases were not reported by local health authorities. If they had been reported, it might have raised the alarm earlier. 'We've received some cases in... https://www.scmp.com/article/652785/free-care-denied-babies-despite-decree?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/652785/free-care-denied-babies-despite-decree?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:00:00 +0000 Hundreds of residents lined up inside Sanlu Group's compound in Shijiazhuang , Hebei , yesterday to return packages of the baby formula at the centre of a tainted-milk-powder scandal. Yesterday was the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival, arguably the second most important Chinese festival after the Lunar New Year. People normally mark the day by staying home with family, eating mooncakes and watching television. But it was clear that those gathered at Sanlu Group's headquarters were in no mood... https://www.scmp.com/article/652687/hundreds-line-return-milk-powder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/652687/hundreds-line-return-milk-powder?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:00:00 +0000 Just a week before the Sanlu Group scandal came to light, the mainland's media was lavishing praise on the company and had recommended its milk powder to the nation's millions of consumers. On September 2, Weekly Quality Report - a popular investigative report programme by China Central Television (CCTV) - hailed Sanlu as a role model for national industry and a shining example of a manufacturer of high quality and safe products. The CCTV programme singled out Sanlu for praise in the first... https://www.scmp.com/article/652542/investigative-tv-report-praised-sanlu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/652542/investigative-tv-report-praised-sanlu?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:00:00 +0000 Nothing is more heartbreaking and infuriating than seeing little children needlessly harmed because of irresponsibility, negligence and greed. The milk-powder scandal which has hit the mainland is, therefore, a matter of the greatest concern. The delay in making the problem of tainted milk public is inexcusable. It appears that the Sanlu Group, the mainland's biggest dairy producer and a state-owned enterprise, failed to promptly disclose the contamination of hundreds of tonnes of baby-milk... https://www.scmp.com/article/652535/negligence-and-greed-must-not-go-unpunished?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/652535/negligence-and-greed-must-not-go-unpunished?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:00:00 +0000 Anxious parents flock to shops seeking refunds and alternative powders Panicked parents have rushed to retailers seeking refunds and replacements for problematic Sanlu milk powder following the news that babies had fallen ill with kidney stones after drinking it. At a Jingkelong supermarket near Beijing's Chaoyang Park, anxious parents holding their four-month-old son asked staff how to get a refund for the milk powder and choose a replacement. 'My son has been drinking the 400g milk powder... https://www.scmp.com/article/652442/rush-dump-tainted-baby-milk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/652442/rush-dump-tainted-baby-milk?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:00:00 +0000 The government received complaints from parents about Sanlu milk powder in June but no action was taken to investigate, mainland media reported. An inquiry from the public about the product was found on the official website of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine on June 30, the Nanfang Daily reported. The content of the inquiry was censored, but the follow-up messages could still be read yesterday. The inspection administration said it would investigate... https://www.scmp.com/article/652430/complaints-were-received-june-nothing-was-done?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/652430/complaints-were-received-june-nothing-was-done?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:00:00 +0000 Union of four state-owned firms will result in a company with 46b yuan in assets and 28b yuan in annual sales Bright Dairy & Food, China's third-largest dairy products maker, will merge with three other major state-owned food companies amid intensifying competition and falling profits. The merger with Shanghai Sugar Cigarette & Wine (Group), Jinjiang Food and Shanghai Gong Nong Shang Group, all listed on the Shanghai stock market, will form a firm that has nearly 46 billion yuan in assets and... https://www.scmp.com/article/557866/bright-dairy-joins-food-merger?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/557866/bright-dairy-joins-food-merger?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Jul 2006 16:00:00 +0000