Sudden Fear of Melamine

The subject of the melamine issue is ringing throughout the world besides the worry on the world financial market (not the wet market of course).

Singapore's effective AgriFood & Veterinary Authority has detected eight more food products that have excessive melamine ingredient:-
* Dutch Lady - Banana Flavoured Milk
* Dutch Lady - Honeydew Flavoured Milk
* Silang - House of Steamed Potato - Potato Cracker
* Silang - House of Steamed Potato - Potato & Tomato Cracker
* 徐福记 - Puffed Rice Rolls with Butter Corn Flavour
* 徐福记 - Puffed Rice Rolls with Cheese Flavour
* New Sshmallows Mallow Dippers-Strawberry Flavour

Even if you have consumed such food products, it will only affect your health if you had consumed large quantities of the contaminated products over a prolonged period of time. So, now you can rest easily (hopefully not rest in peace).

In Thailand, their Food and Drug Administration discovered that a new batch of 100 tonnes of powdered milk shipped from China are contaminated. That's really scary. It exceeded the melamine limit of 1mg/kg. The contaminated powdered milk was containing 1.10 to 1.32 parts per million (ppm)/kg. The powdered milk was manufactured by Beijing Shuangwa Dairy Company Ltd in China and imported by a local Thai dairy product manufacturer Dairy Plus Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Dutch Mill Co.

A Malaysian company was implicated in a melamine scare in Taiwan. The food product by the name of Regimen House Cheese Cracker Sandwich and sold by Golden Kestrel Co Ltd was said to have been withdrawn from the Taiwanese market because Taipei Branch of National Health Bureau detected a melamine level of 29.818 ppm. This food product was packaged in Malaysia for the Taiwan market only on a one-off contract and not sold in Malaysia. Even though it was packaged in Malaysia, it was claimed that the milk powder and cheese powder were supplied by Golden Kestrel Co Ltd.

On another issue implicating a Malaysian company as highlighted in The Earth Times, Pizza Hut Taiwan has rejected the cheese powder packets. Said to be containing 70 ppm, 28 times higher than the permittled level in Taiwan.

Which companies are involved here? Here goes:-
* Pizza Hut cheese powder - supplied by Pick Food and Machinery Corp, Taiwan
* Pick Food creamer - supplied by Fonterra Brands Pte Ltd, New Zealand
* Pick Food cheese powder - supplied by Persnam Corp, Taiwan
* Fonterra cheese powder - came from New Zealand
* Persnam Corp creamer - supplied by Eonlipids Sdn Bhd, Malaysia who has claimed that their product is melamine free.

Interestingly, the Sanlu Group that is implicated in the tainted milk scandal in China is 43% owned by Fonterra Co-operative Group, New Zealand. This co-operative is owned by 11,000 farmer shareholders in New Zealand. Really huge.

Malaysia has one serious case where the White Rabbit Creamy Candy imported from China contained 135 ppm compared with permitted level of 2.5 ppm. The melamine scare has the consumers questioning the safety of using plastic bags, polystyrene boxes and cling wrap to package their take-away meals.

Further updates about melamine issue in Malaysia could now be found in website of the Food Safety and Quality Division of the Ministry of Health.

A list of melamine contaminated food products (for Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, UK, Canada and USA) is found in The Sun Chair Critic blog.

Related post - Melamine Poisoning in Children
Tags: Melamine, Melamine Poisoning, Melamine Free, Milk Product, Dairy Product, AgriFood & Veterinary Authority, Dutch Lady, Silang House, Thailand, Food and Drug Administration, Beijing Shuangwa Dairy Company Ltd, Dairy Plus Co Ltd , Dutch Mill Co, Taiwan, Regimen House Cheese Cracker Sandwich, Golden Kestrel Co Ltd, Taipei Branch of National Health Bureau, Pizza Hut Taiwan, Cheese Powder, Pick Food and Machinery Corp, Fonterra Brands Pte Ltd, Persnam Corp, Fonterra Co-operative Group, Eonlipids Sdn Bhd, White Rabbit Creamy Candy, Food Safety and Quality Division