This story was printed from TODAYonline 
Friday • October 10, 2008
Neo Chai Chin
chaichin@mediacorp.com.sg
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.
They are Cadbury Choclairs in the coffee and blueberry flavours, and Panda Dairy Whole Milk Powder.
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.
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.
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.
“The milk powder has been sealed in the manufacturer’s warehouse since the suspension on Sept 19, 2008,” said the AVA.
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.
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.
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.
Meanwhile, the National Environment Agency (NEA) has found two food establishments using China-made dairy products.
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.
Since Sept 23, a total of 2,549 food shops and 1,626 hawker stalls have been inspected, the NEA said.