23 Sept - Repercussions from the Chinese milk scandal continue to grow as Indonesia and Japan join the list of countries seeking to insulate themselves from damage and exposure to tainted products.
In Japan, regional authorities have urged central government to suspend imports of all dairy products from China. The National Governors Association has submitted a petition to Tokyo declaring “people's distrust is growing over food made in China."
The move coincides with Japanese food company Marudai’s decision to recall five of its products made in China amid fears of contaminated milk products.
The firm said two types of meat buns, two cream buns, as well as creamed corn crepes, had been pulled from sale and tests carried out for any traces of the melamine that has riddled numerous products in one of the biggest contamination crises in the past few years.
The recall was made as a precaution because one of the companies embroiled in the scandal, Yilli Industrial Group, supplies milk used in the products’ manufacture, said the Japanese company; Marudai did not say how many of its products were involved in testing for the chemical melamine. The products are made at the Marudai’s Chinese plant by its subsidiary Qingdao Marudai Food Co. Ltd.
Indonesia has announced all Chinese imports of baby milk have been banned and also recalled Guozhen, an adult milk powder.
The measure is seen as a proactive one as Indonesia does not import Chinese milk powder, the Government said.
Authorities have also promised to test all domestically produced baby formula.