Starbucks Corp. said Thursday it has voluntarily pulled all offerings in China made with milk from producer Mengniu, after melamine was found in some batches of the supplier's liquid milk.
Mengniu, China's largest milk producer, supplies milk only to Starbucks' mainland China locations.
Authorities in China have ordered testing of all dairy products after four babies died and more than 6,200 fell ill from drinking formula containing the banned industrial chemical melamine.
Starbucks said Mengniu has assured the company that none of the milk it received was contaminated, but the coffee retailer said it was pulling the offerings anyway "due to the serious nature of this warning."
"The safety of our customers and partners (employees) is of utmost importance so we have decided to take this action," the company said in a statement.
Melamine is used in plastics, fertilizers and flame retardants.
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