Japanese milk powder is on sale at a supermarket in Beijing. SHI HUILI / MIRROR EVENING NEWS
Milk powder from Japan is still sold in supermarkets in Beijing and from online stores, despite the outbreak of food-and-mouth disease in that country.
Foot-and-mouth disease was detected in Miyazaki, southern Japan, on April 20. Since then, authorities have killed more than 160,000 cows and pigs. On June 1, the disease was found in South Korea.
As a result of the outbreak, the Chinese government on April 30 banned the import of all hoofed animals and related products from Japan.
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Guarantee of China and the Ministry of Agriculture said products imported after April 7 should be sent back or destroyed.
"Milk powder from Japan has been a hot seller since the outbreak," said an owner of a Beijing online store, with the net name Fishing.
"Customers are worried they will no longer be able to get the products in the coming months."
But Fishing refused to tell the source of the goods.
"We haven't be told to remove those products made in Japan," Fishing said.
In the past week, the store had sold more than 200 cans milk power from Japan. More than 190 cans of Meiji, a milk power for babies nine months and under and priced at 190 yuan for 850 g, were sold in the past month.
Another storeowner selling Japanese milk products in Shenzhen said the products are from Hong Kong.
Foot-and-mouth disease is often fatal for cloven-hoofed animals including cows, sheep, pigs and goats, causing blisters on the mouth and feet. It does not affect humans.
On taobao.com, an online shopping website, Japanese milk powder is still being sold. Brands included Meiji, ICREO and Wakodo. But most of the powder was produced before March this year.
"I prefer Japanese milk power because it suits Chinese babies better than those from Western countries," said a young mother surnamed Niu whose 8-month-old son is now drinking Meiji.
"Since the disease will not be passed to humans, we will try to buy from the market."
At Beijing Capital International Airport, luggage from Japan and South Korea will be closely inspected, a quarantine bureau official said.
