Beijing, Feb 2 - China blocked 9.62 tonnes of bacteria-tainted milk powder and formula from Taiwan and Australia from entering the domestic market, the country's quality supervision watchdog and state media said on Monday.
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) recalled and destroyed milk powder made by Wei-Chuan Foods Corp and imported from Taiwan between August and November, after discovering a bacteria that can cause meningitis or brain inflammation, the AQSIQ said on its website.
None of the 9.624 tonnes in the batch, which arrived in China in October, entered the mainland market, Wei-Chuan said in a statement to the Taiwan Stock Exchange on Monday.
The watchdog increased checks on imported milk powder after the revelation that widespread use of melamine to fool protein tests in milk sold in China had killed at least 6 Chinese babies drinking Sanlu brand milk powder, and made 296,000 others ill.
Taiwan banned all Chinese-made dairy products shortly after the melamine scandal came to light in September.
Sanlu's top executive, who received life in prison last month, testified at her trial that Sanlu, partly owned by New Zealand dairy cooperative Fonterra, had informed government officials of the contamination in early August.
The public was not told until September, after the Olympic games in Beijing were over. A local quality official was one of those sacked in the wake of the scandal.
The Wei-Chuan milk powder was among 852 batches of food, beverage and cosmetic products that failed quality tests. The list included wines, frozen meat and fish, water and biscuits imported between August and November from the United States, Japan and Spain, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.