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The Department of Health on Friday said Green Food Yili Pure Milk and Mengniu Original Drink Milk from China have both tested positive for melamine contamination. 

 

In a press conference, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said the two milk products have tested positive for the compound based on tests done by the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD). 

 

"The two milk products found to be tainted were obviously smuggled into the country from China," Duque said.

 

He said BFAD had no import record of the two milk products that tested positive for melamine contamination.

 

"We're still conducting laboratory tests on more products and the results would be made public next week," he added, asking people to report stores that continued to distribute and sell the contaminated milk products.

 

BFAD plans to test about 200 food products imported from China that contain milk after the melamine scare spread across the world last month.

 

Duque said the government was shutting down a warehouse in Manila after it was found repacking powdered milk imported from China even after an import ban was imposed two weeks ago.

 

"We will close down all outlets found distributing and selling banned milk products," he said, adding administrative and criminal cases were being prepared against the importers.

 

Duque also played down any fears of a public health scare stemming from consumption of the two products that were found tainted with melamine.

 

"There have been no reports coming from our hospitals, whom we ordered to report to us cases of kidney problems that may have some associations with the intake of milk tainted with melamine," Duque said.

 

Duque also identified several milk products that have tested negative for melamine contamination. These are: 

 

1. Anchor Lite Milk 

2. Anlene High calcium low fat milk UHT 

3. Bear Brand instant

4. Chic Choc milk chocolate

5. Farmland skim milk

6. Jinwei Drink

7. Jolly Cow pure fresh milk 

8. Kiddie Soya Milk Egg Delight 

9. Lactogen 1 DHA infant formula

10. M&M milk chocolate candies

11. M&M peanut chocolate candies

12. Milk Boy 

13. Nestogen 2 DHA follow-up formula

14. Nestogen 3 DHA follow-up formula

15. Nido 3+ prebio with DHA 

16. Nido Full Cream milk powder

17. Nido Jr. 

18. No-sugar chocolate of Isomalt 2 Oligosaccharide

19. Nutri Express milk drink

20. Pura UHT fresh Milk

21. Snickers fresh roasted in caramel nogut in thick milk chocolate 

22. Vitasoy soya milk drink

23. Wahaha Orange 

24. Wahaha Yellow

25. Want want Milk Drink

26. Windmill Skim Milk Powder 

27. Yinlu Milk Peanut

28. Yogi Yogurt Flavored Milk Drink 

 

 

Duque earlier insisted that only BFAD has the authority to release results of melamine-contamination testing on samples of formula milk and other milk products.

 

He urged independent testing centers to refrain from releasing results of unauthorized testing, which he said might "add to the confusion" created by the China milk scare.

 

“I want to appeal to other laboratories who might want to do their own testing to please coordinate with BFAD, and not release any information that may tend to add to the confusion,” he said.

 

The health secretary said independent laboratories, even if there are “recognized” by the BFAD, should “act responsibly and objectively.”

 

On Thursday, ABS-CBN News reported that eight of the 14 China-made products tested by the Qualibet Testing Center in Quezon City were contaminated with melamine.

 

The melamine-contaminated products include two milk candies, a chocolate brand, a milk powder for pregnant women, a repacked coffee creamer used in restaurants, a luncheon meat brand and a corned beef.

 

Duque said Qualivet should not have released its test results without proper coordination with BFAD.

 

He added that the timing of the results’ release to media was suspect.

 

“This is a situation that is very difficult, more difficult that it already is… All of a sudden, at the eve of our releasing our own results, they come out in media, and they say these products are positive [with melamine],” Duque said.

 

The secretary said the BFAD will have to get the actual test results from Qualivet. He said the government will also check the testing center’s methodology used in testing the China-made products.

 

Pinky Tobiano, owner of the testing center, said their equipment are the same as what BFAD is using to test the collected samples of milk and other milk products from the local market.

 

“We’re using the same equipment because we are accredited by BFAD,” Tobiano said.

 

She added that they also used a legitimate melamine reference standard in the testing. With reports from Reuters Agence France-Presse