China launches probe into milk powder controversy

BEIJING - China Thursday launched a probe into claims that milk powder produced by a Chinese company caused infant girls to grow breasts.

The health ministry said a panel of nine endocrine, paediatric and food safety experts, set up by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, was “directly investigating the claimed premature puberty cases”, the China Daily reported.

Parents and doctors in Hubei province reported in July that milk powder produced by Synutra International caused at least three infant girls to develop breasts.

“Relevant technical organisations” were already testing milk powder samples from the market and from homes of the infant girls, it said.

The ministry said consumers could send the food they perceived to have quality problems to inspection agencies for tests.

However, inspection agencies reserve the right to refuse to test samples from consumers because the origin or history of the samples could be uncertain, it said.