Milk powder sold to a Chinese company by New Zealand-based Fonterra may lead to a number of health-related problems, including the premature sexual development of infant girls. The Chinese health ministry has launched an investigation in Hubei province after scientists made the claims. Despite the investigation and a number of reports stating the health concerns over its milk powder, Fonterra said on Wednesday that it “remains 100 percent confident about the quality of its products.” Synutra International, the Chinese company under investigation, is having its milk powder tested, ministry spokesman Deng Haihua said at a press conference reported by the state-run Xinhua news agency. According to reports from the news agency, at least three infant girls had grown breasts prematurely. The ministry reported they were currently investigating the situation and are looking at what they said could be a number of factors that could have led to the health problems. The deputy head of Wuhan Children's Hospital's endocrine department said three of the four children treated for the condition had never eaten baby formula made by Synutra, Xinhua reported. A fourth baby had used Synutra formula but then switched brands, Xinhua cited him as saying. Synutra Chairman and CEO Liang Zhang in a statement on Monday that called media reports “highly irresponsible and based on speculation instead of evidence.” He argued that his company was working with the government and the Dairy Association of China and the Office of Food Safety, to test product samples. “We do not add hormones to our products and we have invested heavily in research, quality control, formulations and ingredients,” the statement on the company's web site said. Liang added that the company was “in the process of taking legal action to protect our brand.” Estrogen hormones are banned in milk powder products, Deng said. BM
