Authorities in Bangladesh on Sunday banned three brands of powdered milk exported by Chinese companies blamed for selling tainted milk that has sickened at least 6,200 babies and killed four in China. Beijing said last week that the chemical melamine, which is used to make plastics, had been discovered in milk powder and other products such as liquid milk, yoghurt and ice cream.
The director general of the Bangladeshi Standard and Testing Institute, Azmal Hossain, told AFP they had found three brands of powdered milk exported by the Yashili and Suncare companies being sold in markets.
"We have banned the marketing and sales of the brands until further order," Hossain said. Samples of New Zealand milk powder brands had also been gathered from markets and would be tested, he said. New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra is a joint venture partner of Chinese milk manufacturer Sanlu Group, which has been affected by the product safety scandal. Melamine can make products look like they are bursting with protein but if consumed in large amounts can be lethal. US coffee chain Starbucks has stopped serving drinks with milk in many Chinese outlets.