BEIJING — The European Union banned imports of baby food containing Chinese milk Thursday as a toxic chemical that was illegally added to China’s dairy supplies turned up in candy and other Chinese-made goods that were quickly pulled from stores worldwide.
The 27-nation EU adds to the countries that have banned or recalled Chinese dairy products because of the contamination, which has killed four Chinese babies and sickened 54,000. The European Commission also called for more checks on other Chinese food imports.
Outside Shanghai, three zoo babies — a lion cub and two baby orangutans — were found to have developed kidney stones after being nursed with tainted milk powder for more than a year. They drank infant formula made by the Sanlu Group Co., said Zhang Xu, a veterinarian with the Hangzhou Zhangxu Animal Hospital.
Sanlu is at the center of the tainted milk crisis.
In the southern Chinese territory of Macau, authorities found the chemical melamine in samples of a popular chocolate-filled koala-shaped cookie made by Lotte China Foods Co. Tests found melamine in the cookies were at levels 24 times the safety limit, the Macau government reported. The company is a member of Tokyo-based conglomerate Lotte Group.
All European Union imports of products containing more than 15 percent of milk powder will have to be tested under the new rules due to come into force today.
