Monday, October 6, 2008

White Rabbit, melamine positive


Im sure this candy will ring a bell in everyone's mind, if not being the favourite chewy when you were attending kindy or pre-high school.
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What's most memorable about the White Rabbit is how you can chew it with the wrapper still intact. How it melts in your mouth before you taste the creamy, milky taste of the candy.
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When it started to flood the news portals / papers with its high melamine content, my initial assumptions were that it only applies to the product sold in China.
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Apparently, not.
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KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 - The Health Ministry has directed that White Rabbit Creamer Candy and Ego White Rabbit Creamy Candy be removed from the shelf and destroyed after tests found that they are melamine positive.

Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said laboratory tests showed that the candies contained melamine above the standard or 135 parts per million (ppm).

"Supermarkets have been directed to remove the products from the market. State Health Departments have been directed to destroy them to safeguard consumers.

"Offenders can be prosecuted under the Food Act 1983," he told reporters after visiting the Sungai Buluh public health laboratory here today.

Liow said laboratories would take two days to analyse each product sent for melamine tests.
Sixty-four food samples had been taken and analysed by laboratories for melamine since Sept 15. A total of 2,719 food items comprising 775 products had been seized.

The samples were analysed by laboratories at the Chmistry Department, Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry and the Health Ministry.

The health ministry had also seek help from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Malaya (UM) and laboratories in Johor Baharu and Kota Kinabalu aimed at speeding up tests.

Liow said tests on 'Cheese Packets' made from creamer and cheese powder imported from New Zealand found that it was free from melamine.

"The creamer used in making 3 in 1 instant coffee and instant cereal had been reported tainted by several websites after Pizza Hut Taiwan found melamine at 70 ppm in 'Cheese Packets."

On media reports from South Korea that vegetables from China could be tainted with melamine, Liow said the health ministry was monitoring agricultureproduce from China.

Among the 64 food products analysed and found to comply with melamine standard are Chocolate Coated Wafer (Passion), Oreo White Chocolate Wafer Stick (Kraft), Mini Cornetto Chocomint and Tiramisu Flavoured (Wall'S), Moo Soft Cookie Sandwich (Wall's), 123 Honey Powder Milk (Dutch Lady), Strawberry Flavoured Milk (Dutch Lady).

Baby Bites Carrot (Take One), Mini Poppers Strawberry and Vanilla Flavoured (Wall's), Full Cream Powder Milk (Dailylac), Yogurt Jelly (Strong), MilkChocolate (M&M), Candy (Kong Chui), Menthos Yogurt and Chocolate Eggs Rolls. - Bernama

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