On July 9, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets issued an alert on “Guan Wei Yuan” powdered milk formula found in one supermarket in Chinatown. The brand, which comes from Shinjian, a far western province of China, does not contain the amount of protein and other essential ingredients as indicated on its label. The Department of Agriculture has ordered all Guan Wei Yuan formulas to be taken off the shelves and put under food quarantine. An investigation into the source and distribution for these products is continuing.
Earlier this year in Anhui province in China, an inferior powdered milk formula caused hundreds of cases of what doctors called "big head disease," where infants' heads appear abnormally large in comparison to their bodies. The incident created such panic that the Chinese prime minister Wen Ja Bao ordered that all powdered formulas be tested; as a result of the investigation, the company that produced Guan Wei Yuan was blacklisted in China. Many Chinese consumers are appalled to learn that it has now surfaced in New York.
Many Chinatown supermarkets operators are also befuddled by this discovery. They point out that there are lots of high-quality powdered formulas manufactured in the United States. Families with economic difficulties can apply for a food voucher through the Women, Infants and Children Program to get free baby formula. Many business owners say that formula has a rather limited circulation in supermarkets.
The Department of Agriculture reported that it found Guan Wei Yuan at the Asian Mall, located on Baxter Street. The manager of the mall, who said his last name is Fu, denies that the store imported the brand secretly from China. Fu says that a U.S. distributor approached him to market-test this brand. According to Fu, he put out 10 cans on the shelf at the mall; not one sold.
The Department of Agriculture said that it has received no reports of illness relating to Guan Wei Yuan formula.
Fu said that officials came to his store two weeks ago and took away several cans to be tested. They came back a few days later with the results and ordered him to take all Guan Wei Yuan products off the shelf. Fu said that he turned in all the powdered milk formulas to the authorities. Fu said he expects to get a fine and declared he will never put unfamiliar products on the shelf again.
The Department of Agriculture found seven different kinds of Guan Wei Yuan powdered formulas, all contained in 900 grams cans, including “Baby,” “Adult,” “Strengthen Blood &Bone,” “Middle Age” and “Total Cream Added Calcium.” When tested, it showed that they contained less than one-seventh of the minimum federal requirement for protein per serving and approximately one-quarter of the required amount of fat and only a trace amount of the declared calcium and magnesium. The products were also misbranded under New York State law because the nutritional information on the label is not in English.
There are two powdered formula companies registered under the name of Guan Wei Yuan in China. The one, whose products appeared in Chinatown, is based in Yili, Shinjian. The other Guan Wei Yuan, which is a joint venture of the Australia, New Zealand and China, is based in Guandong.
Quan Wei Yuan powdered formulas are priced at $5.99, while equivalent U.S. products run from $13 to $15. The incident has apparently affected the marketability of all powdered formulas from China. Since the Department ordered Quan Wei Yuan to be taken off the shelf, Chinese powdered formulas cannot be found in any of Chinatown’s supermarkets, after all were taken off the shelf.
