Ban on China milk product imports grows

BEIJING, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- China's tainted milk products, which sickened tens of thousands of babies in China, are causing increasing concerns around the world, experts said.

Chinese dairy products are prohibited or have come under tightened quality-testing in at least 12 countries, the Voice of America reported.

Indonesia said Wednesday about 30 Chinese-made products, including cookies, chocolates and chocolate-covered peanut bars, may be contaminated, the report said. In New Zealand, reports of the chemical melamine being found in Chinese-made White Rabbit candy led the British Tesco supermarket chain to remove the item from its shelves.

The European Union announced Thursday that food imports containing milk powder would be tested, The New York Times reported.

The VOA report, however, quoted a World Health Organization spokesman as saying thus far no reports outside of China and Hong Kong have come of infants getting sick from Chinese milk products.

In China more than 50,000 infants were sickened after consuming melamine-contaminated baby formula. Four of them have died.

CNN reported the scandal also includes tainted crackers found in South Korea.

It said in the United States, inspectors planned to expand testing of Chinese products with high levels of milk or milk proteins, although U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials found no Chinese infant formula in a check of more than 1,000 stores.

Hong Kong health officials reported two new cases of kidney stones in children who ate tainted dairy products, the CNN report said.

Chinese authorities have arrested 18 people as part of their investigation.