BEIJING - The Ministry of Health announced on Thursday that a panel of nine experts had been assembled to probe claims that milk powder made by a Chinese company caused infant girls to grow breasts.

The ministry said in a statement that it was "directly investigating the claimed premature puberty cases at the request of Hubei province", and that it would make public the investigation results as soon as possible.

A panel of endocrine, pediatric and food safety experts had been set up by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention to study the premature puberty cases in consultation with local authorities, it said.