The melamine scandal - a scandal with Chinese milk in October 2008, when it became clear that a number of Chinese food manufacturers added melamine to their products in order to increase the measured protein concentration, resulting in products that included widely used infant formula for babies , became hazardous to health. The scandal led to mass protests in several countries, large-scale withdrawal of products from sale, and in some cases to the forced rebranding of certain types of products, which turned out to be compromised. According to some sources, melamine supplements have caused diseases in several tens of thousands of children, including at least six deaths.
Content
- 1 Summary
- 2 Trial
- 3 notes
- 4 See also
- 5 Links
Essence
In October 2008, it became clear that some Chinese food manufacturing companies added melamine to food to increase the apparent protein concentration (when measured using some accepted methods, protein concentration is determined by the amount of nitrogen in the product, which increases significantly with the addition of melamine). [1] [2]
Melamine was added to foods such as milk ( dry and regular) to increase protein, chocolate bars, instant coffee, dragees and cookies, as an emulsifier. Melamine was also found in the products of Cadbury , Guanshengyuan , Nestle (in Kit Kat chocolate), Mars (in Snickers chocolate bars and M & M's chocolate dragees), produced in China [3] .
Melamine is considered a low-toxic substance, but a number of studies have obtained data on malignant diseases and the formation of stones in the urinary system with prolonged consumption of food containing ultra-high concentrations of melamine.
With a high content of melamine in dairy products, after natural chemical processes, a pronounced fodder odor appears.
It was also reported that the total number of children poisoned by low-quality dairy products amounted to about 300 thousand, of which 53 thousand were in China, six children died and 100 were in critical condition. [four]
Representatives of food companies argue that melamine was found only in products that were intended for Asian markets, and in products sold in Europe, it is not [1] .
In the CIS, cases of melamine poisoning have not yet been noticed. However, this does not mean that none of the manufacturers uses it to falsify the protein content in the milk mixture.
Litigation
As a result of a large-scale audit initiated by the Chinese government, the perpetrators were identified, who were immediately brought to justice. Among the defendants, two (Geng Jiping, the head of a company that sold melamine-containing milk, and Zhang Yujun, the head of a company that produced and sold melamine to dairy companies) were sentenced to death , two were sentenced to life imprisonment , and several others were sentenced to long prison terms. [5]
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Melamine: poison in free sale (finance.ua)
- ↑ Chinese company intentionally added melamine to milk (news.bigmir.net)
- ↑ Melamine found in “Snickers” (24.ua)
- ↑ In Taiwan, melamine is found in popular brands of instant coffee (inaccessible link) (2000.net.ua)
- ↑ A death sentence has been passed in China on manufacturers of poisoned milk.
See also
- Timeline of the Chinese Milk Scandal (2008)
- Official Product Inspection During Chinese Milk Scandal