The China Melamine Milk Scandal and its Implications for Food Safety Regulation

This article examines the development of the Chinese dairy sector since 2000 and investigates how this has affected food safety. The ongoing problems caused by melamine contamination are linked to the rapid and unregulated development of this sector. Currently, China is faced with demands – both from home and abroad – to improve its food safety record. This will necessitate it upgrades its regulatory framework to meet the standards of Codex Alimentarius and the EU. A serious restructuring of the dairy sector as well as of the public food safety control agencies is called for. The costs and benefits to be accrued by these reforms are the subject of this article.

[1]  E. Stokey,et al.  THE MODE OF ACTION OF THREE NEW DIURETICS: MELAMINE, ADENINE AND FORMOGUANAMINE , 1945 .

[2]  R. Tyl,et al.  The induction of bladder stones by terephthalic acid, dimethyl terephthalate, and melamine (2,4,6-triamino-s-triazine) and its relevance to risk assessment. , 1985, Regulatory toxicology and pharmacology : RTP.

[3]  M. Filigenzi,et al.  Assessment of Melamine and Cyanuric Acid Toxicity in Cats , 2007, Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc.

[4]  Shumei Chen.  Sham or shame: Rethinking the China's milk powder scandal from a legal perspective , 2009 .

[5]  Jikun Huang,et al.  Got Milk? The Rapid Rise of China's Dairy Sector and Its Future Prospects , 2006 .

[6]  L. Bai,et al.  Implementation of HACCP system in China: A survey of food enterprises involved , 2007 .

[7]  G. Newton,et al.  Melamine as a Dietary Nitrogen Source for Ruminants , 1978 .

[9]  Chenglin Ma,et al.  Food safety assurance systems in China , 2007 .

[10]  Hong-Gang Ni,et al.  Law enforcement is key to China's food safety. , 2009, Environmental pollution.

[11]  Jiehong Zhou,et al.  Adoption of HACCP system in the Chinese food industry: A comparative analysis , 2008 .

[12]  Jikun Huang,et al.  China’s Milk Scandal, government policy and production decisions of dairy farmers: The case of Greater Beijing , 2012 .

[13]  Dali L. Yang,et al.  FOOD SAFETY AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF REGULATORY INSTITUTIONS IN CHINA , 2005 .