China says some imported baby goods unsafe

BEIJING, June 1 (Reuters) A quarter of imported children's milk bottles and teats failed a recent random quality test in southeast China, Xinhua news agency said today, amid an overseas scare about Chinese food, drug and other products.

''Do you think foreign brands mean high quality?'' the report asked, before detailing the findings of the survey in coastal Fujian province.

The results ''should attract the highest attention from children and their parents'', it added.

''These products are not up to standard for safety and hygiene reasons, and may harm children's safety and health,'' the report added.

The products came from Japan, Germany, Britain, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan and Hong Kong, Xinhua said, adding ''most of them were brand-name goods''.

China blamed the media yesterday for stoking fears about the safety of the nation's food and drugs, but senior officials acknowledged that it was not realistic to expect a 100 per cent quality guarantee.

They were reacting to a series of scandals that have plagued Chinese products, from poisoned cough syrup in Panama to tainted pet food in the United States, and shaken global confidence in the made-in-China label.

Reuters SBC DB1142