China has fined six largely foreign infant formula firms a total of $108 million in one of its biggest anti-trust penalties. The companies were penalized for price-fixing and anti-competitive practices following a massive investigation into the rapidly growing industry.

中国处罚了6家婴幼儿配方奶粉公司，其中多数属于外资，罚款总额为1.08亿美元。这是中国最大的反垄断罚单之一。这些公司是由于价格操纵和反竞争做法而受到处罚的。在此之前，这个迅速增长的行业受到了大规模的深入调查。

China has fined infant formula companies from the United States, France, New Zealand and one Chinese firm, following a five-month investigation into their business practices by the country’s top economic planning body, the National Development and Reform Commission.

中国对来自美国、法国和新西兰的婴幼儿配方奶粉公司以及一家中国企业进行处罚。此前，中国的全国经济规划机构国家发展和改革委员会对这些公司的商业行为进行了长达5个月的调查。

Those penalized include U.S. firm Mead Johnson, which was fined $33 million, Dumex, a subsidiary of France’s Danone was fined nearly $28 million and New Zealand’s Fonterra, $645,000.

这些受到处罚的公司包括美国的美赞臣公司，罚款3300万美元，法国达能（Danone）的附属公司多美滋，罚款近2800万美元，新西兰的恒天然，64万5千美元。

In comments to China’s state broadcaster CCTV, investigators say the fines were based on the companies’ sales last year and their cooperation with the investigation. The fine was waved for three of the nine firms that were investigated, says Xu Kunlin, director of the investigating commission’s anti-trust division.

发改委价格监督检查与反垄断局局长许昆林告诉中国的国家电视台CCTV说，罚款额度是根据各公司去年的销售额以及它们在调查中的合作态度确定的。总共有9家公司受到调查，其中三个免于罚款。

“The reason why three of the companies were not fined is because according to China’s anti-trust law, if you voluntarily provide important evidence, cooperate with the investigation and take steps to reverse any negative impact and stop all illegal activities, then fines can be waived,” he said.

他说：“为什么三家企业给免了呢？依据反垄断法，如果你在调查期间主动提供主要证据的，配合调查的，积极消除违法的影响，停止违法行为，依法可以免除处罚。”

Although most of the companies that were targeted were foreign firms, the fines are part of a larger effort by the government to protect consumers and tighten enforcement of regulations, says Ben Cavender, a senior analyst at the China Market Research Group in Shanghai.

在上海的中国市场研究集团的高级分析师卡文德说，虽然这些罚款主要针对外国公司，但这是政府保护消费者、加强执法的一个范围更大的行动的一部分。

“I do think we are seeing a very strong message from the government and this is true for infant formula, this is true for pharmaceuticals, its true for gold, a variety of different industries," Cavender said. "They are really making sure that laws aren’t being broken and so if you are a company doing business here it is better to factor a lot more into your planning than the past.”

他说：“我确实认为我们看到政府发出了非常强烈的讯息。对于婴幼儿配方奶粉，是这样处理，对于药品，是这样处理，对于黄金，乃至各种不同的行业，都是这样处理。他们是要确保法律不被违反，所以如果你是一个在这里做生意的公司，你就得在规划中比以往要多多考虑这个因素。”

China’s powdered milk market is already a multi-billion dollar industry that is expected to expand to as much as $50 billion by 2016.

中国的奶粉市场已经是一个价值上百亿美元的产业，预计到2016年将扩大到高达500亿美元。

Imports are a big part of that market, partly because consumer confidence in local brands was damaged in the 2008 tainted milk scandal that led to the deaths of six infants. Since then, analysts say companies with products that are thought to be safer have had a lot of elasticity in their pricing here.

进口奶粉占了奶粉市场的很大份额，部分原因是2008年导致六名婴儿死亡的受污染奶粉事件重挫了消费者对本土品牌的信心。分析人士说，从那时起，被认为拥有较安全产品的公司在中国定价有很多的弹性。

Just days before the government announced the results of its investigation into the price-fixing scheme, New Zealand dairy company Fonterra - the world’s largest distributor - began recalling its infant formula and other products after discovering they were possibly tainted.

就在政府宣布有关操纵价格的调查结果几天前，世界上最大的奶制品分销商、新西兰恒天然乳业公司开始召回其婴幼儿配方奶粉等产品，因为这些产品可能受到污染。

The recall spooked parents from China to the Middle East as the company said its products that use whey protein contained bacteria that could cause botulism - a potentially fatal food poisoning.

此次召回行动使从中国到中东的家长们感到惊恐，因为该公司表示，其产品使用的乳清蛋白中含有可能会引起肉毒杆菌的细菌 - 一种潜在的致命食物毒素。

The company has recalled all potentially contaminated products, but in Beijing, the recall left few at ease.

恒天然公司已召回所有可能受污染的产品。但在北京，这次召回行动没能让多少人感到放心。

Xia, a college student who is caring for her five-year old nephew during the summer break and was out buying formula on Wednesday says the Fonterra recall only adds to consumers’ worries.

一个姓夏的大学生在暑假期间照顾她5岁的侄子。她星期三在购买婴儿配方奶粉时表示，恒天然的召回行动只是增加了消费者的疑虑。

“There’s no doubt that this will have an impact on consumer confidence in the quality of powdered milk. Whether it is the case a few years ago, when domestic producers put that stuff in infant formula, or this recent one, its hard to feel at ease when buying any product be it domestic or foreign made.”

她说：“肯定是对这些质量不放心，比如说国内生产的，不放心这些东西。在选的时候，肯定要。现在进口的和国内的，我感觉都不放心。”

However, when asked if she had to make a choice herself for her nephew, she said she would still choose foreign over domestic brands.

然而，当问到她必须要作出选择时，她说她还是会首选外国的而不是国产品牌。

Business analyst Cavender says that although New Zealand milk brands may struggle for a while over the contamination scare, most consumers are likely to stick to foreign made formula because they do not trust domestic manufacturers.

“The big thing here is fear," Cavender said. "Consumers are very worried that the products they buy will be safe…I don’t think this is a case where they will be saying, oh, products coming out of New Zealand are bad so we’re going to buy domestic. It is more likely that what we’ll see happening is that products that might be sourced from northern Ireland or northern Europe or somewhere like that, might then become some of the more popular items.”

Consumers say the price of formula has already dropped in recent weeks, by as much as 20 percent in some cases, but some were skeptical how long the dip in prices would last. On average, imported infant formula can cost as much as two times more in China when compared to prices in the United States and other countries.