This "fake milk powder" is different.

Compiled from: China Economic Net, Tencent News
 
 
Recently, the news of "Chenzhou big head doll fake milk powder" has been trending. According to media reports, multiple parents of children in Chenzhou City, Hunan Province, reported that after consuming Bei'anmin "special medical milk powder," their children developed symptoms such as skull deformities and developmental delays, later diagnosed as rickets by hospitals. The packaging of the "milk powder" in this incident indicated it was a "solid beverage." So why did it become "special medical milk powder" when consumed by the children?
 

 

 
What is "solid beverage"? ？
 
[1] Solid beverage[2] Refers to food powder with a specific composition, which is mixed with water to be consumed as a drink. "Protein solid beverage" is a solid beverage with relatively high protein content that can supplement protein, and it is a type of conventional food that is legal and compliant.
 
[3] Logically, it is not a big deal for adults to consume this solid beverage as a supplement, as there are many other ways to intake nutrients. However, if infants and young children rely on such food as their sole source of nutrition, it would undoubtedly be a disaster.
 
 
What is [4] "Medical food" ？  
 
[5] Medical food[6] Refers to food formulated to meet the nutritional needs of specific populations, such as food for diabetics or hypertensive patients.
 
In the Chenzhou incident, some infants were allergic to proteins in milk or soy protein, but protein is an essential nutrient for the human body. Therefore, these allergic infants consumed nutrition through "special medical formula milk powder," as these products use amino acids to replace proteins, preventing allergies. However, this shows that while meeting the requirement of "no allergies," it must also be a "formula milk powder," meaning it contains all necessary nutrients for infants in appropriate amounts. Such milk powder has high requirements for both formulation and production, leading to strict regulation and the need for specialized production qualifications to manufacture and sell. Thus, special medical formula milk powder is typically more expensive.
 
 
The product is qualified; it's the salesperson's fault!
 
Food safety and nutrition science expert Wang Sili stated that this incident does not indicate a problem with infant formula milk powder but rather a case where "solid beverages" were passed off as "special medical formula milk powder," causing severe developmental issues in infants.
 
According to online information, the production license number for "Bei'anmin" is SC10612011100425, with the client being Hunan Weileke Health Industry Co., Ltd. and the processor being Tianjin Deheng Technology Co., Ltd. Manufacturing Center (formerly known as "Tianjin Deheng Technology Co., Ltd. Zhangjiawo Processing Plant"). Upon inquiry, this product is classified as a protein solid beverage, not a special medical formula food.

 
 

 
The Propaganda Department of Yongxing County Committee in Chenzhou, Hunan, stated that the involved maternal and infant store is Yongxing County Aiyinfang Maternal and Infant Store. When sales staff at this store received inquiries from parents of infants allergic to regular milk powder, they recommended the product "Bei'anmin," a French imported deeply hydrolyzed whey protein (protein solid beverage) from Hunan Weileke Health Industry Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Weile Company") for the infants to consume. Currently, five parents have filed complaints with the Yongxing County market regulatory authorities. The Yongxing County Aiyinfang Maternal and Infant Store purchased 47 units of "Bei'anmin" from Weile Company, all sold out before October 2019. Relevant functional departments, including the Yongxing County Market Supervision Administration and the County Health Bureau, have formed a special task force to investigate the involved maternal and infant store.
 
 
How to choose "special medical formula milk powder"?
 
In response, the State Administration for Market Regulation website also posted on May 13: "According to the Food Safety Law, infant formula milk powder and foods for special medical purposes are special foods. In China, they are subject to strict registration management and batch-by-batch inspection before leaving the factory, ensuring quality and safety. Consumers purchasing infant food should pay attention to label identification and select appropriate products."

 
 

 
Therefore, when buying infant formula or infant formula for special medical purposes, carefully read the label information and do not trust promotional messages.
 
First, the national food safety standards require that all products should clearly indicate the specific name reflecting the true nature of the food in a prominent position. Therefore, parents can look for words like 'infant formula', 'formula for special medical purposes', or similar meanings on the outer packaging.
 
Second, the regulations for implementing the Food Safety Law stipulate that special foods cannot be sold mixed with ordinary foods, and businesses must have sales qualifications.
 
Third, buyers can search for product information on the "Special Food Information Query Platform" on the official website of the State Administration for Market Regulation using the registration number on the product's outer packaging. If the product information cannot be found, it may be unregistered or counterfeit.
 
 
笔者 观点
The author wants to say that children are not only the flowers of the motherland but also living lives and the continuation of a family's bloodline. When choosing to buy things for children, most parents always want to give them the best and most expensive. However, many people only listen to the sales pitches of store staff or simply believe in the effects claimed online, which does not allow for an objective understanding of the facts. Indeed, online information has become a major source of modern information. But we should sharpen our eyes and use official authoritative websites for verification. When purchasing in physical stores, carefully and clearly read the descriptions on the product's outer packaging, without being half-convinced or even completely mistaking the product's nature. The author sincerely hopes that while the state vigorously cracks down on unscrupulous merchants, we as consumers can also enhance our self-awareness and contribute to supervising good market operations.