China denies milk could cause early puberty

Beijing - An investigation of Synutra milk powder, one of the most popular milk powder brands among Chinese young mothers, shows there is no evidence of sex hormones causing early puberty to baby girls, announced China's Ministry of Health on Sunday.

In early August, consumers accused the Synutra milk powder could cause baby girls to show signs of premature sexual development, such as growing breasts. At least five similar cases in Guandong, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangxi provinces and Beijing were reported so far. At a press conference in Beijing, ministry spokesman Deng Haihua said 42 samples of milk powder made by Shengyuan were tested along with 31 samples from 20 other brands, which were all collected from the home of reported case, Wuhan in central China's Hubei province and in Beijing. In China, the current food regulation does not include testing hormone ingredients in dairy products, which raised concerns in the nation. Deng said China could revise the regulation in the near future. Shenggyuan International, the manufacturer of Synutra based in Beijing, previously said the New Zealand-based Fonterra is its only supplier of its milk powder. Fonterra used to be the second largest shareholder at Sanlu Group, which was bankrupt in 2008 for the melamine-contaminated milk powder.