The food safety watchdog in southern Guangdong Province warned against tainted dairy products manufactured by a Zhuhai dairy company after more than 100 children were reported vomiting after drinking the milk, a Guangzhou-based newspaper reported on Saturday.
The provincial food safety agency had sealed up 4,167 boxes of the milk suspected of contamination while the manufacturer, Zhuhai Weiwei Daheng Dairy Company, recalled another 2,706 boxes of such product.
The government warned consumers in five cities, Zhuhai, Jiangmen, Foshan, Zhongshan and Guangzhou, against the risk of drinking 150-ml high-calcium milk, which was packed on March 26, the newspaper said.
Some 75 children in a few day-cares in both Zhuhai and Jiangmen were reported sick after drinking the products on Wednesday. The young patients were properly treated and went home from hospital on Friday.
More than 30 children were later reported sick after drinking the same products.
The local food safety enforcement tested samples collected from the dairy products and found staphylococcus aureus intestinotoxin, which will lead to acute alimentary infection.
The dairy company made an apology statement to the public and said it would compensate for the sick. After careful investigation, the company said it primarily ascertained a calcium material imported from the US problematic.
The company is asked by the government to stop all production lines for a thorough overhaul, the newspaper said.
The contaminated products were distributed to 49 retailers in the five cities. the newspaper said. No report said the products were exported.
(Xinhua News Agency March 29, 2008)