Two words: baby formula.We can talk ourselves senseless about President Donald Trump’s fury over alleged trade imbalances and Canadian dairy specifically, and Canada’s supply management system, and the relatively small weight of the dairy industry measured against, say, steel and aluminium. But a quick peek into the world of baby formula ties together a number of these strands and maybe makes it easier to find a through line, a thread.Start with Feihe International Inc. Never heard of it? The Beijing-based company’s primary product is formula made from milk powder. Yes, infant formula, but in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company notes that it makes formula for young children, expectant mothers, students, the middle aged and the elderly too. (The company went public in the United States in 2003 and reverted to private status in 2013.)An essential piece of history: China’s melamine baby formula tragedy is a decade old, but its reverberations are still being felt. Melamine had been added to watered-down formula to lend the appearance of boosted protein content. We think of melamine as a chemical used in plastics. (Remember Melmac?) Ingested, the chemical can cause kidney stones and kidney failure. Hundreds of thousands of infants fell ill. At least six children died. The Sanlu Group was at the centre of the scandal. Its chairwoman was sentenced to life in prison. Two men directly involved were executed. Twenty-two other companies were swept up in the ensuing investigation.Ever since, the fear of tainted formula has hung over the Chinese market. And with good reason. Stricter regulations by national health and safety authorities were introduced in 2016 after repeated revelations of expired, tainted and improperly labelled product. Formula makers have until the end of this year to register each product with the CFDA, the China Food and Drug Administration. The expectation is that many makers won’t meet th ...
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