THREE more products from China have been found tainted with melamine, including one meant for manufacturing use, the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said yesterday.
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They are Cadbury Choclairs in the coffee and blueberry flavours, and Panda Dairy Whole Milk Powder.
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The AVA gave the assurance that the levels of melamine detected in the tainted products were very low and should not cause ill heath unless consumed in very large quantities.
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It said the Choclairs had melamine concentrations of 21.4 to 92.3 parts per million (ppm) and a 60kg adult can consume between 108 and 292 pieces of the candy daily without suffering from ill effects from the chemical.
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Panda Dairy milk powder — which had melamine levels of 163.8 ppm — was imported in January by a local manufacturer to make chocolate blocks for export. None of the melamine-tainted batch has been used in food production.
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“The milk powder has been sealed in the manufacturer’s warehouse since the suspension on Sept 19, 2008,” said the AVA.
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The latest detections bring the number of melamine-tainted products to 13. The AVA said all the tainted products would be destroyed under its supervision.
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Melamine is an industrial chemical that is illegally added to diluted milk to artificially boost its protein levels. The AVA has banned the import and sale of China-made milk products here since Sept 19, after a scandal that has killed four infants and caused over 53,000 people in China to be sick.
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The AVA has issued a summons to I-Tec Supermart and verbally warned 10 other retailers for selling China-made dairy products after its ban. It will test pet food for melamine after completing tests on consumer food products.
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Meanwhile, the National Environment Agency (NEA) has found two food establishments using China-made dairy products.
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The product samples have been sent to the AVA for tests and NEA said yesterday action will be taken against the businesses should the products be found to contain melamine.
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Since Sept 23, a total of 2,549 food shops and 1,626 hawker stalls have been inspected, the NEA said.
