Wednesday, China's health minister announced that the number of infants sickened by Sanlu Group’s tainted milk has now risen to over 6,200, the formula having also taken its toll on the lives of three babies. Moreover, the number is expected to further increase, Minister Chen Zu added.

In an attempt to keep the matter under control, head of China's quality control watchdog agency Li Changjiang has stated that 5,000 inspectors would be sent to monitor companies throughout the nation, after studies performed by the government showed that dairy products from 20% of the milk powder producing companies contained melamine. Ingestion of this substance, which is said to have been added to the milk at collection stations, may cause reproductive damage and bladder or kidney stones, the latter being the cause of the death of the three infants.

An additional government measure entailed the forced recalling of baby formula produced by Mengniu Dairy and Yili Industrial Group, two of China’s largest dairy companies. Yashili and Suncare also recalled their milk powder, which is exported in Bangladesh, Yemen, Gabon, Burundi and Myanmar.

Nevertheless, at the core of the tainted formula scandal is Shijiazhuang-based Sanlu Group Company, which is owned in part by Fonterra, the sixth largest dairy company worldwide and also the one that makes the rules when it comes to international trade. The sick babies developed kidney stones after having been fed Sanlu’s milk for a period of time ranging from three to six months.

Consequently, the company’s general manager Tian Wenhua was fired. On Wednesday, Wenhua, along with four milk suppliers were taken into custody by the police.

During a meeting on the topic of inspection of dairy products that was held Wednesday, Health Minister Chen Zu reported that of the 6,244 sick babies, 158 suffered from acute kidney failure. Furthermore, a number of 1,327 infants remained in hospital care, he added.

This year’s crisis is the second major one that China has been confronted with. Back in 2004, approximately 200 babies were fed fake milk formula of little nutritional value. As a result, 13 infants died after having consumed the counterfeit powder, which was found in the dairy products of about 10 brands on the Chinese market. The milk contained only one-sixth of the amount of protein needed for a baby’s development. Moreover, malnourishment of the infants led to a medical condition called by the residents of Anhui, the province where the scandal broke out, the „big head” disease. The complication rendered babies’ heads abnormally larger than their bodies. The crisis resulted in the shutting down of 54 of the milk powder producers.

Even though at that time, China’s food safety standards were called into question and many reports on harmful foods were issued, it seems that tighter controls, which were triggered by the 2004 scandal, have not been as effective as the government had promised at the time.