CHINA
Overhaul promised of dairy industry
BEIJING (AP) — China’s Cabinet vowed a complete overhaul of the scandal-ridden dairy industry Monday, pledging to inspect every link from the farm to the dinner table to try to restore public trust in Chinesemade food products.
In its strongest action yet, China’s highest level of government called the industry “chaotic” and acknowledged there was a lack of oversight.
The government said it would punish companies and officials involved in the contamination of milk products that has been blamed in the deaths of four babies and the sickening of more than 54,000 children.
Police detained six more people suspected of tampering with milk in northern China, a spokeswoman said, bringing to 32 the number of people arrested in the scandal.
Monday’s meeting, headed by Premier Wen Jiabao, was the latest attempt by the Chinese government to show it is tackling the widespread contamination of milk and other dairy products with melamine, an industrial chemical used in making plastics and fertilizers.
