(Update 3) DOH clears 21 dairy products of melamine contamination

by DAVID DIZON, abs-cbnNEWS.com | 10/08/2008 1:26 PM

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The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday said a China-made product, Jolly Cow Slender High Calcium Low Fat Milk (1 liter), had tested positive for melamine, while clearing 21 other dairy products.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque said authorities have been given instructions to seize the product from store shelves to protect the public from melamine poisoning. Jolly Cow Slender High Calcium Low Fat Milk (1 liter) is distributed locally by Flying Ace Corp..

Melamine, a chemical used for plastics, has been found in some infant formula manufactured by Chinese firms. Four Chinese infants have died while more than 50,000 have been hospitalized due to melamine poisoning.

Lourdes Santiago, officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Food and Drugs Laboratory Services Division, said the product had a melamine level of 4 parts per million, which is higher than the US Food and Drugs Administration standard of 2.5 parts per million.

Second negative list

The 21 dairy products cleared by BFAD of melamine contamination are:

1. Anmum Materna Milk Powder Chocolate Flavor (400g)
2. Bear Brand Choco (300g)
3. Bear Brand Sterilized Milk (200ml)
4. Cadbury Choclairs
5. Carnation Calcium Plus Non-fat Milk Powder
6. Klim Instant Full Cream Milk Powder
7. Milk Chocolate Bar (40g)
8. Monmilk Breakfast Milk Walnut Milk Beverage
9. Monmilk Hi-calcium Low fat milk (1L)
10. Monmilk Deluxe Pure Milk
11. Nestle Chocolate Flavor Ice cream
12. Nestle Dairy Farm Pure Milk
13. Nestle Fresh Milk (1L)
14. Nestle Kitkat
15. Nestle Milk chocolate (40g)
16. Nestle Pops Ice cream
17. Nestle Vanilla Flavor Ice cream
18. Nestogen 1 DHA
19. Nesvita Cereal Milk Drink
20. Blue Tree Express Milk Drink or Green Apple Flavor (500ml)
21. Prime Roast Instant Nutritious Cereal (28g)

Last week, the DOH identified Greenfood Yili Fresh Milk and Mengniu Drink as having tested positive for melamine. The BFAD declared 28 other products, including popular milk and chocolate brands, free of melamine.

Duque said BFAD has lined up close to 100 dairy and meat products from China for possible melamine contamination. He said because of the limited capacity of the BFAD laboratory, milk and milk products from China will be prioritized for testing.

Crackdown on illegal importers

Duque said the government will also intensify its campaign against illegal milk importers after discovering that some of the melamine-positive products were shipped in illegally.

BFAD director Leticia Gutierrez said food importers must secure a license food and allow their products to undergo BFAD testing before they can be imported and sold locally.

"It is only when BFAD has declared a product safe for consumption can Customs release it," she told reporters.

Joyce Cirunay, BFAD products and services division chief, also said the bureau is now requiring companies and manufacturers to submit documents listing raw materials used in the production of imported food.

The DOH earlier filed cases against the Sta. Lucia Metro East Supermarket between Cainta, Rizal and Pasig City after inspectors found a China-made milk product being sold there.

Not many sold?

In an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) Wednesday, Mike Villanueva, marketing manager of Flying Ace Corp., said they "fully support" the Bureau of Food and Drug's (BFAD) findings.

Villanueva said Jolly Cow Slender High Calcium Low Fat Milk is a new product that has been in the market for around six months and "not a great deal" have been sold.

Flying Ace Corp. had already volunteered to withdraw the product last month and will ship back these items to China, he said.

Villanueva said only one Jolly Cow product has so far tested positive for melamine.

He also downplayed the health risks of drinking Jolly Cow Slender High Calcium Low Fat Milk, saying "it's not a source of great concern."

Villanueva said the "tolerable daily intake of melamine is 0.5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight." Thus, an adult who weighs 60 kilograms will not get sick by drinking Jolly Cow Slender High Calcium Low Fat Milk laced with 4 parts per million of melamine, he added.

First negative list

The 28 milk and milk products found negative of melamine as of 03 October 2008 include:

Anchor Lite Milk, Anlene High Calcium Low Fat Milk, Bear Brand Instant, Chichok Milk Chocolate, Farmland Skim Milk, Jinwei Drinks, Jolly Cow Pure Fresh Milk, Kiddie Soya, Milk Egg Delight, Lactogen 1 DHA Infant Formula, M&M Peanut Chocolate Candies, Milk boy, Nestogen 2 DHA Follow-up Formula, Nestogen 3 DHA Follow-Up Formula, Nido 3+ Prebio with DHA, Nido Full Cream Milk Powder, Nido Junior, No- Sugar Chocolate of Isomaltooligosaccharide, Nutri-Express Milk Drink, PURA UHT Fresh Milk, Snickers Fresh Roasted in Caramel & Soft Nougatin Thick Milk Chocolate, Vitasoy Soya Bean Milk, Wahaha Orange, Want-Want Milk Drink (Red Can), Windmil Skim Milk Powder, Yinlu Milk Peanut, Yogee. Yoghurt Flavor Milk Drink.

as of 10/08/2008 1:26 PM