SEOUL—China’s tainted milk products have spread to Korea. On September 24, the Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) said that it had found melamine in two domestically-distributed snack foods imported from China.
According to a report by South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency on September 25, Misarang Custard, a snack made by Jianianhua International Company in China’s Tianjin, on an OEM deal with South Korea’s Haitai Confectionery and Foods Company, tested positive for 137 parts per million of melamine. Milk Rusk, another snack made in Hong Kong, tested positive for 7 parts per million of melamine.
The detection of more than 100 parts per million of melamine means that consumers can ingest large quantities of melamine from dairy-based processed foods, in addition to from milk or powdered milk. Initially, China’s powdered milk tested positive at several dozen parts per million and up to several hundred parts per million of melamine.
According to the report, Korean consumers are expected to lose confidence in Chinese food products or processed foods using ingredients imported from China.
However, Haitai Confectionery and Foods Company said they were puzzled by the test results, because their product that tested positive by the KFDA was made with raw materials provided by a Chinese dairy company which is not among the 22 dairy companies producing tainted baby formula as announced by Chinese authorities.
The test results indicated that melamine could exist in products from other dairy companies that are not on the 22 dairy companies list.
The KFDA announced that it will conduct tests on 4,600 tons of 615 kinds of snacks and chocolates containing milk ingredients imported from China.
White Rabbit Candy Contaminated with Melamine
According to a report by China’s people.com.cn on September 23, Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority announced on September 21 that a batch of “White Rabbit Candy” from Shanghai, China, was contaminated with melamine, and that consumers are advised not to consume them. Authorities in Singapore warned local retailers and importers that they must recall all milk and milk-related products imported from China.
New Zealand’s Food Safety Authority announced on September 25 that all “White Rabbit Candies” imported from China will be pulled from the shelves within 24 hours.
Two Young Orangutans Sickened with Kidney Stones
Hong Kong’s Ming Pao Daily News reported on September 25 that two young orangutans in the Hangzhou Zoo had developed kidney stones after being fed Sanlu powder milk.
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