South Korea, Australia and Japan withdrew melamine-contaminated sweets and drinks from supermarkets yesterday amid a widening scandal over Chinese milk products tainted with the toxic chemical.
Authorities in Seoul ordered Mars and Nestle to pull three products after melamine, which is usually used for making plastics, was detected in snacks made in China by the multinationals.
The industrial chemical had been found in M&M’s and Snickers peanut Fun Size packets, both produced by Mars, and Kit Kat chocolate bars imported from Nestle Tianjin in China, the Korea Food and Drug Administration said.
“Mars is recalling these products because it is legally obligated to do so following the announcement by the Korean Food and Drug Administration [KFDA],” Mars said.
Melamine has been blamed for making thousands of infants ill and killing four in China after it tainted baby milk powder in one of the country’s worst-ever product safety scandals.
China is struggling to limit the damage to its food safety reputation as a growing number of countries suspend imports of Chinese milk products or withdraw them from sale.
Mars said that while it was complying with the South Korean request, the melamine levels detected were too small to pose a health risk. The firm called for a standard reporting limit of the industrial chemical across Asia.
“Minute traces of melamine are commonly found throughout the global food chain and melamine levels below 2.5ppm [parts per million] are not deemed to indicate adulteration with melamine,” it said.
A KFDA official said South Korea does not allow any level of melamine in food.
WHO food safety expert Peter Ben Embarek said earlier this week that many countries had only recently fixed limits for melamine in food as “melamine has nothing to do with the food chain.”
The chemical was added to milk before being sold to dairy manufacturers in a bid to falsely boost protein readings, Chinese authorities have said.
A fourth Chinese milk product has been withdrawn from sale in Australia after tests revealed it was tainted with melamine, Food Standards Australia New Zealand said in a statement.
“Consumers are advised not to consume Kirin milk tea made in China,” the organization said.
The Australian food watchdog has already recalled White Rabbit sweets and Chinese-made Cadbury chocolate eclairs, while importers of Lotte Koala Biscuits have undertaken a precautionary withdrawal of the product.
A Japanese importer, meanwhile, began recalling Chinese chocolates suspected of being contaminated with melamine.
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