The Infant Formula That Delivered Almost No Protein-and Killed Babies

A mother in Fuyang buys formula that isn't real milk; infants die - how did a food system allow this?

The Infant Formula That Delivered Almost No Protein-and Killed Babies

In this episode, we lay out the documented record of China's food safety crisis from 2002 through 2025, centered on the 2004 Fuyang infant formula scandal and the broader failures that enabled it. What gaps between regulation and enforcement allowed adulterated food to keep appearing on shelves?

Person: Parents and infants in Fuyang, Anhui province Date: Spring 2004 Location: Fuyang, Anhui province; rural Anhui and national markets Event: Infant formula tested at 1-6% protein against a 10% minimum Status: 2,540 bags seized; 141 factories supplied the 45 formula types

- Investigators tested 45 infant formula types sold locally and found protein content between 1% and 6%. - Thirteen infants died in Fuyang city; rural estimates place additional deaths between 50 and 60. - Survivors showed severe malnutrition with "big head disease": wasted bodies and enlarged heads from fluid build-up. - One hundred forty-one factories supplied the 45 defective formula types, and no single producer was named responsible. - The government promised compensation to families, but no documents confirm payments reached those families.

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