The Ministry of Health announced Sunday that an investigation showed the amount of sex hormones in Synutra milk powder did not exceed the permitted amount, the Jinan Times reported.

Earlier reports claimed Synutra milk powder had caused baby girls to show signs of premature sexual development. Sources said that, during the past week, the company suffered losses of around 2 billion yuan due to the scandal. More seriously, customer confidence in domestic milk brands like Synutra has been badly dented.

Analysts estimate the negative influence of this incident will at least last a year.