Awwal 15, 1432 H/Feb 18, 2011, SPA -- China on Friday sought to calm the public about a new milk safety scandal, saying it had stepped up scrutiny of production after reports that toxins were being added to some dairy goods, according to Reuters. State media reported on Thursday that some manufacturers had illegally added a leather protein powder to dairy products in an effort to cheat protein-content checks. There have so far been no reports of illness, but the scandal was a top topic on many Internet blogs and websites. "Businesses that are found illegally producing and processing 'leather milk' should be severely dealt with," said the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) in a statement on its website. When added to dairy products, the protein powder normally used in leather production would make dairy products seem to have higher protein content, the statement said. "Reports of the 'leather milk' incident will undoubtedly cause panic among citizens and cause another crisis of confidence for the dairy industry," state news agency Xinhua said in a commentary. The government has repeatedly promised to tighten the regulatory system after safety scandals involving items as diverse as fish, drugs, toys, toothpaste, tyres and pet food. In 2008, at least six children died and nearly 300,000 fell ill from drinking powdered milk laced with melamine, an industrial compound added to fool inspectors by giving misleadingly high results in protein tests. China executed two people in November 2009 for their role in the melamine scandal, but also kept a tight lid on public discontent over the case, jailing a man who organised a website for parents of children who became ill. The Ministry of Agriculture said on Thursday that the quality and safety of its raw milk was "generally good." Melamine and leather protein powder have been on China's list of banned additives in fresh milk since 2009, AQSIQ said.
