Sept. 25 (Bloomberg) -- The European Union proposed testing food products from China that contain powdered milk and banning all such items for young children following a contamination scandal in the Asian country.

The proposal by the European Commission, the EU executive in Brussels, would impose testing on all imports of products that contain more than 50 percent milk powder and random testing of such products already on the European market. The measures, expected to be adopted tomorrow, also call for an ``explicit total ban'' on Chinese products containing any amount of milk for infants and young children, an EU spokeswoman said today.

Countries including Japan, India and South Korea have recalled or restricted Chinese products containing milk after Sanlu Group Co. and other companies sold products contaminated with melamine. The chemical contamination, which has killed four infants and sickened more than 50,000 in China, is ``deplorable,'' the World Health Organization said today.

``As far as we know, for the moment, no contaminated products are on the European market,'' the EU spokeswoman, Nina Papadoulaki, told reporters in Brussels. The measures are ``to ensure that no such products enter the market in any form.''

While the EU doesn't import dairy products like milk and yogurt from China, it does import ``composite products'' such as chocolate and cookies that may contain milk, Papadoulaki said.

`100 Percent Protected'

``We are taking the measures for precaution,'' she said. ``We had to step up our measures in order to be 100 percent protected.''

In China, melamine in milk powder has been linked to illness in almost 53,000 babies and fatal kidney failure in at least four infants, according to government reports. Melamine, used to produce plastic and tan leather, makes the protein content in diluted milk appear higher than it is.

The tainted-milk scandal has revived concerns about Chinese food-safety controls after previous scares over seafood, dumplings and pet food. Last year, melamine was found in pet food blamed for killing dogs and cats in the U.S.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jones Hayden in Brussels at jhayden1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: September 25, 2008 08:23 EDT