China: 19 nabbed for selling nearly 300 tonnes of expired milk powder
(File) A woman carries a child as she shops for milk powder in a supermarket in Beijing, China. Pic: AP.
CHINESE authorities have arrested 19 people in Shanghai who allegedly repackaged 276 tonnes (276,000 kgs) of expired milk powder for sale, purportedly to reduce business losses.
According to South China Morning Post, the Shanghai Municipal Food and Drug Administration in confirming the arrests, said the suspects separated the product – the New Zealand-produced Fonterra milk powder – into smaller portions and continued selling them via wholesalers and online stores.
The suspects were reportedly operating under the Shanghai-registered trading firm Jiang Di International Trade.
A China Daily report quoting the food safety regulator said police were alerted to the case in March when they discovered repackaged products at a Shanghai retailer’s warehouse.
It said raids conducted later saw the confiscation of 109.2 tonnes of the expired product from Jiang Di’s warehouse. Another 166.8 tonnes had been sold to retailers.
