Health authorities in China have ordered an investigation into claims that a batch of powdered baby milk has caused children as young as four months old to grow breasts.

London Telegraph

Tests were ordered on infant formula made by the NASDAQ-listed company Synutra after reports surfaced in China’s state media that three children fed on the formula had entered into precocious puberty.

Synutra, one of China’s largest producers of baby milk, issued a statement saying it had “100 per cent confidence” in its product and promising to co-operate with any investigation to restore consumer confidence.

“We have worked closely with state authorities, including the Chinese Dairy Association and the office of food safety, to test product samples, to prove that these claims are false. We expect that the results of these tests should be made public soon,” added Liang Zhang, Synutra’s chief executive.

Declaring its products “safe”, the company said the media reports were inaccurate and misleading and that its milk had passed all government tests for hormone dosage. However, the company’s share price fell 27pc on Monday in response to the news.

China’s dairy industry has only just recovered from the 2008 tainted milk episode which saw six babies die and 300,000 others become seriously ill as a result of milk powder contaminated with melamine, an industrial chemical used to give milk the appearance of a higher protein content.

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