3 companies lose Famous Brand status

Three leading dairy companies have been removed from China's Famous Brands list after their milk was found to be contaminated with melamine, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) said on Friday.

"In order to preserve the reputation of China's Famous Brands, the AQSIQ decided to revoke the titles given to Yili and Mengniu groups (both based in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region), and Shanghai-based Bright Diary," the agency said.

Tests conducted on milk over the past few days showed 24 - all from the mentioned firms - of 1,202 batches were contaminated, the agency said on Thursday.