Burma to Destroy 16 Metric Tons of Chinese Milk

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

RANGOON — Burma's authorities said it would destroy 17 1/2 tons (16 metric tons) of powdered milk made by one of 22 Chinese dairy companies found to have produced chemically tainted products, a newspaper said Thursday.

The privately run Bi-Weekly Eleven journal said the milk powder made by China's Yili Industrial Group Co. had not yet been distributed in Burma.

An official at Burma's Food and Drug Administration said the milk powder was worth about US $50,000 and would be destroyed on September 30, according to the Burmese-language paper. The report did not identify the official by name and did not explain how the administration planned to destroy the powder.

Cheap Chinese dairy goods are widely sold in impoverished Burma, but state media have issued no official warnings on the tainted milk crisis in China that has killed at least four babies and sickened tens of thousands.

There have been no reported cases of sickness from toxic Chinese dairy products in Burma.

Investigations are under way into other Chinese dairy brands available in the military-ruled country, the paper said, quoting the FDA official. The report did not elaborate on what other measures would be taken.

The latest food safety scandal began when baby milk formula produced by Sanlu Group Co was found to be tainted with the toxic industrial chemical melamine. The crisis his since expanded to include products from 22 Chinese dairy companies, and several countries have banned food imports containing Chinese dairy produce.

In 2006-2007, military-ruled Burma imported more than US $995 million of goods from China, its largest trading partner, according to government statistics.