Myanmar's junta has banned nine dairy products found to be contaminated with melamine, state-run newspapers reported Friday. The official government announcement published in all three state- run newspapers said the nine brands of milk powders were contaminated with melamine and the government "hereby prohibited" their import, processing, distribution and use.
Yangon, Oct. 10 Kyodo - Myanmar's junta has banned nine dairy products found to be contaminated with melamine, state-run newspapers reported Friday.
The official government announcement published in all three state- run newspapers said the nine brands of milk powders were contaminated with melamine and the government "hereby prohibited" their import, processing, distribution and use.
The official statement did not mention where the milk powders were imported from. However, it said the authorities took action after newspaper reports that "children in some countries including China are suffering from kidney stones after consuming tainted milk powder contaminated with melamine, and some children died."
Earlier this month, Myanmar's Food and Drug Authority found and destroyed 16 tons of formula milk powders imported from China.
Melamine is an industrial chemical, normally used in plastics, that is sometimes added to diluted milk to make it appear in tests to be higher in protein than it really is.
A least four Chinese infants have died and thousands of others have been sickened by the tainted milk, prompting many countries to ban milk powder and other milk products from China.
Originally published by Kyodo News Service, Tokyo, in English 1119 10 Oct 08.
