A milk powder produced by the international food company Nestle was found to contain too much iodine, according to a survey result released on Wednesday by Zhejiang Administration of Industry and Commerce.

The "Jin Pai Growing 3-Milk Powder," produced by the Heilongjiang-based Shuang Cheng Nestle Co Ltd, failed to meet national iodine content standards.

According to state standards, every 100 grams of milk powder for infants and young children should contain 30-150 micrograms of iodine, according to State standards.

"This is the first time we have found milk powder containing excessive amounts of iodine in recent years," said Bian Yuyang, an official with the Zhejiang Administration of Industry and Commerce.

Bian said the iodine content of the Nestle milk powder was slightly higher than acceptable standards.

The milk powder sells well in big supermarkets in Zhejiang Province, said Bian.

Nestle has ordered a test of its products and raw materials to find out why their product failed the test, according to a statement released Thursday by Nestle.

The statement said the situation was caused by fluctuations of iodine contained in fresh milk, the main ingredient of the product.

"We always try our best to ensure Nestle products' high quality and safety," said the statement.

The statement also said that the milk powder was still safe and their new test results indicated the iodine content matched International Food Standards for infants and children.

However, experts said children could develop goiter, a condition caused by either a deficiency or an excess in iodine.

"Consumers have no need to panic because whether the milk powder will cause goiter or not depends on the total amount absorbed daily," said Ding Yuting, a food professor from the Food Research Institute under the Zhejiang University of Technology.

If children develop goiter after consuming the milk powder, they should stop taking it, Ding said.

Although this might set people's minds at rest, it does not mean we want poor-quality products on the market, Ding added.

The milk powder has already been pulled from supermarket shelves across the province, said officials from the Provincial Administration of Industry and Commerce.

(China Daily May 27, 2005)