Fonterra (a major shareholder in Sanlu) notified the New Zealand government about concerns regarding contaminated Sanlu infant formula, helping trigger diplomatic and regulatory escalation.
Sanlu publicly acknowledged melamine contamination and initiated a recall of affected infant formula, marking a turning point from internal handling to public crisis management.
WHO reported thousands of infant kidney-stone cases linked to melamine-contaminated powdered infant formula and used INFOSAN channels to alert countries that had imported potentially affected products.
Hong Kong amended its Harmful Substances in Food regulations, setting statutory maximum levels of 1 mg/kg for milk and specified vulnerable-group foods and 2.5 mg/kg for other foods, creating an enforceable legal basis for recalls and prosecutions.
The European Commission adopted emergency measures requiring systematic testing of certain composite products from China containing significant milk content and prohibiting infant/young-child nutritional composites from China.
WHO’s update reported over 54,000 children seeking treatment and released preliminary risk-assessment guidance on melamine and cyanuric acid to support national withdrawal/recall decisions.
The EU replaced its initial emergency decision with expanded measures, including testing requirements and destruction of consignments exceeding 2.5 mg/kg melamine, and prohibitions for infant/young-child nutritional composites from China.
An international WHO expert meeting established a melamine tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 0.2 mg/kg body weight, helping governments calibrate recall thresholds and food safety limits.
Sanlu confirmed it had filed for bankruptcy after the scandal, reflecting the severity of legal liability, loss of market access, and financial collapse following the recalls and prosecutions.
A Chinese court issued major sentences in the melamine case, including death sentences for key suppliers and a life sentence for Sanlu’s former general manager, signaling a punitive state response to restore food safety credibility.
A Shijiazhuang court formally declared Sanlu bankrupt, institutionalizing the company’s collapse and enabling asset disposition after its central role in the adulteration crisis.
China carried out executions of two men convicted of producing/selling melamine-laced materials used in tainted milk, underscoring the government’s severe criminal enforcement response.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission adopted international maximum levels of 1 mg/kg in powdered infant formula and 2.5 mg/kg in other foods and animal feed—benchmarks used globally to distinguish background occurrence from adulteration and to manage trade controls.
2008 China Milk Scandal (Melamine) and International Responses (2008-2010)
