Friday, September 12, 2008

Sanlu, Baidu, and That Damned Olympic


An internal FAX surfaced today revealed more about the behind the curtain operations of the Sanlu (Triple Deer) powdered milk scandal.

The letter recommended three parallel strategies: 1) Silencing victims; 2) Buying out our the official search engine in China, Baidu; 3) citing national standard.

Company who pays RMB 5 million ($750k) in advertising enjoys a 'PR protection' status from Baidu. Baidu will delete any negative reference. The consulting company has managed to negotiated a deal that Sanlu only needs to pay RMB 3 million to qualify the status. Sanlu has paid RMB 1.8 million at the time of the letter (August 11, 2008), and the letter recommend Sanlu pay the rest ASAP to seal the deal.

The letter also revealed that adding melamine is also a common practice in China powder milk industry. The third strategy dictates Sanlu will threat to disclose this 'secret' to secure help from national producers association.

So what does this has anything to do with the Olympic? According to Xinhua News, as early as in March, the producer has been notified by hospitals across the nation of unusual number of infant kidney stones cases after using the Sanlu infant formula. As early as June, the top product quality agency in China, the general administraion of quality supervision, inspection and quarantine of the people's republic of china (AQSIQ), had already handled the case. Although the original web page was no longer accessible, a Internet cache showed the answering of an inquiry No: 20080630-1622-25262. Because of the damned Olympic, hundreds of thousands of Chinese infants had to keep drinking poisonous milk for another 3 months.

Actually, this was not the first crisis of the Sanlu powder milk. Four years ago, in the Anhui 'Big Head Babies' case, among 41 other low price powder milk brands, Sanlu powder milk was tested to be of zero nutritious value, made of all with chemicals and nothing from a cow. Through a successful 'PR campaign', Sanlu was removed from the list, and the AQSIQ endorsed the campaign.

Sanlu is the largest powder milk producer in China, and second largest yoghurt producer and third largest liquid milk producer. In January 2008, Sunlu infant formula received the highest possible national technology award, the National Science and Technology Progress Award (2nd tier) for the successful mixing of melamine into diary products without hurting taste and safety. This is the only National Science and Technology Award ever been awarded to a diary related research in 20 years since the top national award was established.

Upon the public outcry, the company stopped selling of 10,386 tons of milk in its factory and warehouses, and recalled 700 tons that were already on the market. It showed 5-6% of melamine is the test samples. It is estimated that as many as 700 tons melamine had been added to its power milk products in the six months between January and June of 2008.

Sanlu was acquired by the New Zealand based Fonterra in December 2005. Fonterra acknowledge the issue, but stressed that the milk was only in markets in mainland China and the Taiwan area.

The following is a complaint filed by a consumer whose daughter was an victim of the Sanlu milk. Many baby died after drinking the Sanlu milk mixed with melamine. A search of the Internet finds hundreds of such complaints, but all the communism government had been doing was to silence the consumer, in part in name of the damned Olympic!


三鹿集团这种所谓的名牌奶粉能吃吗?!
发布时间:2008年6月2日
投诉主题:在线投诉:三鹿集团这种所谓的名牌奶粉能吃吗?!
投诉地址:泰顺县 [/]
投诉企业:河北石家庄三鹿集团股份有限公司
投诉原因:的名牌奶粉能吃吗?!
详细内容:
  经历了这一事件,就像经历了漫漫长夜;又像做了一个噩梦。同时,也说明我们的食品安全问题任重而道远,想揭露事件的真相是很困难的,除非出现像安徽阜阳那种大事件,而所能揭露真相的比例占总数也是极少的。

  事情是这样的。我全家(包括岳父岳母)都有吃奶粉的习惯。自2007年11月份开始,我在县城某超市陆续购得一批“三鹿”牌子的奶粉。经食用,首先发现生产日期及批号为2007/12/19 D 01 08的儿童高钙配方奶粉有如下现象:女儿晚睡前食用,次日晨起第一注小便排出,粘稠、呈淡黄色米汤状,还有细小颗粒沉淀,并偶有腹泻;停用即清,再食用又浊。再闻冲开之后的奶粉气味,似香不香;入口感觉淡涩、且有粉渣感。

  开始,我以为买到假货了。出于公民义务,我将情况电话告知厂家服务热线。厂家叫我寄2包原封奶粉,送实验室检验。

  我于2008年2 月25日,向河北石家庄三鹿集团股份有限公司寄出儿童高钙配方奶粉(生产日期及批号:2007/12/19 D 01 08)、中老年高钙配方奶粉(生产日期及批号:2007/12/29 D 02 37)各一包。

  过了多天,我致电厂家,询问是否收到寄检奶粉?有无问题?请把检验结果传真给我。厂家承认收到,并证实是他们生产的产品,但没有跟我说有无质量问题,只是说地区代理商会跟我联系。

  又过了几天,地区代理商代表厂家果然和我联系,叫我把没吃完的退还或换货;还说次日来人回收或换货。我不同意。我首先要的是检验结果。如果没问题,孩子吃了为何有上述情形?如果有问题,是什么问题?为什么不让我知道结果?如果不能让我知道结果,你为什么要叫我寄检?我又何必寄检?我孩子吃了,出现一些反常现象,可以退还或换货,那其它人的孩子呢?

  自称是厂家代表的人给我的答复是:《检验报告单》涉及商业秘密,不能给我,但是可以给我看(到目前为止我还没有看到)。还说他们的儿童奶粉只适合3-7岁儿童,我孩子超过7岁。但包装袋上却明明标着:适合3岁以上少年儿童食用。后来提出:吃到肚子里的就说不清楚了;剩余15包,11包退一换一,开掉的4包退一换二。这是什么逻辑?他这样说有道理吗?连自己的产品都不熟悉的人,他能是厂家代表吗?我还能跟他谈吗?

  我只好向消协投诉。消协于3月27日下午联系了卖家(超市),买卖双方在县工商局直属工商所所四楼由消协工作人员主持调解。卖方确认是他们所销售商品,说厂家不出具检验结果他们也觉得莫名其妙,最多只能按原价回收我们所食剩余的奶粉。我不同意。觉得此举意义不大,厂家既然叫我寄检了,我也寄检了,我一定要先知道奶粉有无质量问题!谈话间,他们还透露:他们仓库里还有大批这样的奶粉;泰顺县最大的连锁幼儿园——育才幼儿园也用这种奶粉。听到这些,我更想知道这批奶粉有无质量问题了,而想知道有无质量问题?唯一的办法就是由公正的第三方(即工商部门)通过合法的程序抽样送检。但检验费用得由我先垫付,说全检要上万,等于我要花几十倍的钱去证实它。我犹豫了,说回去好好想想。双方没有谈拢,调解没有成功。

  这到底是怎么回事?我又找厂家。想通过厂家解决问题。我给厂家发了电子邮件,
内容如下:

  “前段时间,我把奶粉寄你处检验的事。经与地区代理商和零售商多次协商,无果。现直接向你提出我的处理意见。

  一、要求寄我检验报告单。如果说涉及商业秘密,寄我检验结果,并加盖公章也可。

  二、如合格。要求对所剩余的我认为有问题的奶粉进行退换,毕竟这一批次的产品在食用后出现了一些不正常现象。

  三、如果出于某种不可告人的原因,不能办到。我们即默认它为不合格。并按《食品卫生法》的相关规定处理。

  四、无论那种情况,如换货,为确保所换奶粉质量。我要求你部直接与我接洽,或由我指定商店退换。

  五、最后,双方签定调解协议,并通知消协。

  上述五点妥否?请商榷。并尽快予以回复。”

  但是厂家一直不做答复。后经思考,我觉得把奶粉寄送生产产家、让他们自己说有无问题,这一做法不妥。真理始于怀疑,而终于信仰。我就是把房子卖掉一套,也要查明事情的原委、破解心中的疑惑。我于3月31日正式向县工商局直属工商所提出申请:为了天真的孩童,为了风烛残年的老者,为了更多的消费者,应该对这一批次有争议奶粉进行取样、并送权威部门检验。无论结果如何,对大家都是一件好事。

  县工商局直属工商所的同志,在接到我的申请,并请示上级领导后,组织人员来到超市。结果发现慢了一步:前两天货架上,满满当当的上述批次的奶粉(包括其它老包装的),一包也没了,全部变成了新包装的奶粉,仓库里也没有,全部不知所终!问超市的管理人员,说是不清楚。这次行动失败的原因主要是厂家确认是其生产,工商方面有些迟疑,毕竟是名牌啊,所以在之前增加了调解程序;也是这个原因,导致去超市取不到样。

  现在我手里的那堆奶粉就成孤证了。我看到那堆奶粉心里就郁闷:吃又不敢吃,扔掉又可惜、也不敢,换吧?又怕他们把类似原来那种质量的换给我。唉,身为人父、为人子的我该咋办呢?现在我只有寻求媒体的帮助了。

On May 20, 2008, the same person post a message on the popular community site Tianya of the same story. On June 6, 2008, he asked the discussion board mater to delete his post:

作者:789oo88oo88 提交日期:2008-6-6 9:58:00
  
  斑竹你好。
  我是789oo88oo88用户。
  在5月20日下午19点左右,在没有充分了解事情真相的状况下,我在天涯杂谈上发表了《[汶川地震]这样的奶粉能拿来救灾吗?!》一文。后来才发现原来自己所买的是假冒伪劣产品,但是由于当时本人过于激动,言论颇有不当.并借地震之事大肆宣扬,想让更多的网友知道此事.在此深表道歉,为了防止误导更多的人,并无心对生产厂商造成名誉损坏。因此,请斑竹代为删除此贴。防止更坏的影响及传播。
    谢谢。
    帖子链接:
    http://cache.tianya.cn/publicforum/content/free/1/1259614.shtml

When pressed by peer netizens after the scandal broke out, he posted again on Sept 12, 2008:

作者:789oo88oo88 回复日期:2008-9-12 20:19:13 

    "在5月20日下午19点左右,在没有充分了解事情真相的状况下,我在天涯杂谈上发表了《[汶川地震]这样的奶粉能拿来救灾吗?!》一文。后来才发现原来自己所买的是假冒伪劣产品,但是由于当时本人过于激动,言论颇有不当.并借地震之事大肆宣扬,想让更多的网友知道此事.在此深表道歉,为了防止误导更多的人,并无心对生产厂商造成名誉损坏。因此,请斑竹代为删除此贴。防止更坏的影响及传播。"
  
    这个帖子不是我写的。事情是这样的:我的帖子因为被人回了帖,所以就没有权限删除了。厂家又崔得紧,我只得告诉他们密码,他们自己写的。

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