BEIJING — China has launched a probe into food safety after the new discovery of products laced with melamine, a chemical blamed for the deaths of six babies in a huge scandal in 2008, state media said Tuesday.
In the latest cases, some companies were found to have made products using melamine-contaminated milk powder that was recalled after the scandal but found its way back on to the market, the official People's Daily reported.
At a weekend meeting on food safety issues hosted by Health Minister Chen Zhu, officials decided to launch and inspection campaign "to thoroughly check potential problems in food safety," the newspaper said.
"There are still some businesses and individuals that ignore the safety and health of the public and are blinded by greed," it added.
According to the report, the companies involved in the fresh melamine scandal were based in several parts of China, including Shanghai and the northeastern province of Liaoning.
In the latest reported case, authorities in the southwestern province of Guizhou found that some products contained levels of the industrial chemical above allowable limits.
Melamine gives milk products the appearance of having a higher protein content.
Traces of the chemical were discovered in a range of products including baby formula, leading to the death of six infants and making almost 300,000 ill, according to official figures.
The scandal triggered an uproar in China and abroad, and many Chinese dairy products were pulled from shelves around the world.
