China came under intense pressure Thursday as the EU announced plans to ban some food products from the country. Furthermore the UN also criticized diary firms for trying to hoodwink the public.

The European Commission said it was preparing an "explicit, total" ban on all products originating from China for infants and young children containing milk, a spokeswoman told journalists.

The measure was intended "to ensure that such products are not imported in any form," she said.

China does not export dairy products such as milk or yoghurt to the European Union, but it does send food items containing milk, such as biscuits and chocolate.

Altogether 53,000 Chinese children have been sickened and four have died after drinking milk containing the industrial chemical melamine.

Melamine is mainly used for manufacturing plastic but when added to milk, the toxic chemical can make it appear richer in protein.

"Based on what we've seen in the press I would say, this looks like an attempt to deceive the public by milk producers who seem to be trying to water down their milk," said Dale Rutstein, a Beijing-based spokesman for UNICEF, the UN's children agency.

UNICEF earlier issued a statement with the World Health Organisation, saying it had "observed with great sadness and concern the unfolding story of tainted infant formula produced by Sanlu and other companies."

"Whilst any attempt to deceive the public in the area of food production and marketing is unacceptable, deliberate contamination of foods intended for consumption by vulnerable infants and young children is particularly deplorable," the statement said.