Chinese investigators confirmed the milk that sickened 119 kindergarten children in south China's Guangdong Province last week was infected with staph in the process when additives were added.

The bacteria was identified as staphylococcus aureus. The infection had its way as the additive adding process was not properly pasteurized, said a source from Zhuhai City Government.

A total of 119 kids from three kindergartens in Zhuhai, a coastal city in Guangdong Province, fell ill last Wednesday after consuming high-calcium milk produced by Weiwei Daheng Dairy Company, a local business, and packed on March 26.

Victims were reported vomiting after drinking the products. The young patients were properly treated and discharged from hospital on Friday.

No serious consequences were reported from the hospitals.

The local food safety enforcement body said they found staphylococcus aureus intestinotoxin, which might lead to digestive infection, from samples collected from both the hospitals and the same products in stock.

While making a public apology and promising to compensate for the sick, the dairy company claimed a calcium material imported from the U.S. for producing the dairy products was problematic and blamed it for the infection.

The allegation, however, was not supported by the city health authority.

Chen Yaoping, deputy director of Zhuhai City health bureau, said there were not adequate evidences to support the company's allegation.

A special group consisting personnel from departments ranging food and drugs, health, quality control and quarantine inspection, commerce, and education was set up to carry out further investigation over the massive poisoning case.

Shortly after the outbreak of the incident, the provincial food safety agency had sealed up 4,167 boxes of the milk suspected of contamination while the manufacturer, Zhuhai Weiwei Daheng Dairy Company, recalled another 2,706 boxes of the same product.

One production line for making the problematic milk was ordered to suspend operation beginning March 26.

After the incident, sales of Weiwei Daheng Dairy Company plunged by 60 percent, according to the company's marketing manager surnamed Xu.

(Xinhua News Agency, April 2, 2008)