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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's health ministry has banned all infant formulas, milk and milk products from China to safeguard against poisoning by the toxic industrial chemical melamine.
Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai however was quick to assure parents that Malaysia did not import dairy products from China, state Bernama news agency reported late Friday, citing a health ministry statement.
China said this week that milk powder tainted with the melamine, which is used in plastics, had sickened at least 6,200 babies nationwide and killed four over a period of many months.
Neighbouring Singapore on Friday suspended the import and sale of all milk and milk products from China after local tests found samples containing melamine in two China-made brands of milk products.
The US coffee chain Starbucks stopped serving drinks with milk in many Chinese outlets after the Chinese government ordered a mass recall of dairy products.
Yili, Mengniu and Guangming - big brands consumed and trusted by hundreds of millions of Chinese - were affected by the recall after authorities checked their products and found traces of melamine.
Melamine added to milk and other food products gives the appearance of higher protein levels.
- AFP/yb
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