Media reports earlier in the week said that medical tests had found excessive levels of hormones in three young girls who had allegedly consumed milk powder made by Synutra. Parents of the children and doctors in the Hebei province had expressed concern that the products caused the girls, aged four- to 15 months, to prematurely develop breasts.
Defense
Synutra has now responded to these allegations. In a statement, Liang Zhang, chairman and CEO of Synutra, said: “We are seeing many industry experts speak out about the lack of scientific evidence between infant formula and these claims.
“The recent press conference by the Ministry of Health (MOH) communicated that a definitive cause for premature development in the infant cases submitted could not be determined and that there are many possible contributing factors, which may cause premature development.
“These points are both positive for us and are in-line with our belief that Synutra products are safe and in no way related to these claims.”
Zhang went on to threaten to prosecute the parties responsible for the accusations “to the furthest extent possible.”
Fonterra statement
Fonterra, which supplies milk powder to Synutra, has also come out in defense of its products. In a statement released on Wednesday, it said: “Fonterra is a supplier of milk powder to Synutra International but we understand Synutra sources some milk locally and imports whey powder from Europe.
“In New Zealand there are strict legislative controls on the use of Hormonal Growth Promotants (HGPs) – they are not allowed to be used on milking cows. The strict controls mean that it is not necessary for New Zealand milk or milk products to be routinely tested.”
The dairy concluded that it “remains 100 per cent confident about the quality of its products.”
The Chinese health ministry has launched an investigation into the claims.