Oz Withdraws Melamine-Tainted Body Paint

The Australian importer of chocolate and strawberry-flavored Boxer Lovers Body Pen Set will withdraw the said China-made products after testing positive for melamine.

Australian importers previously recalled products including White Rabbit Creamy Candy, Kirin Milk Tea, Orion Tiramisu Italian cake, Dali Yuan brand first milk and Lotte Koala biscuits.

Bloomberg

Melamine Eggs

Hong Kong found another batch of melamine-tainted eggs from China. The eggs came from the Jingshan Agriproducts Company in Hubei Province.  

Melamine-fortified eggs also turned up in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province. The eggs - branded "Ciyunxiang," was produced by Green Living Beings Development Center based in China's northern Shanxi province. They contained 3.5 mg melamine per kg.

NYT
Reuters

Kyrgyzstan Finds Melamine in Flour

Kyrgyzstan found melamine in flour imported from China.

more

Singapore Finds 3 More

Singapore found three more China-made products fortified with industrial chemical melamine: Lotte Koala's March Cocoa Chocolate Biscuit, Hello Kitty Strawberry Cream Filled Biscuit, and an unbranded industrial pack of non-dairy creamer.

ChannelNewsAsia

Melamine in Eggs

Hong Kong found excessive levels of melamine - 4.7 parts per million -  in eggs imported from China. The eggs were produced by Dalian Hanwei Enterprise Group. 

The chickens were probably fed with melamine-fortified feeds.

Hong Kong previously banned eggs from China after a cancer-causing industrial dye, Sudan Red G, was used to color the egg yolks.

Two More

Two more brands of biscuits in the the Philippines tested from melamine: Lotte B+W Koala Biscuit and Lotte Chocolate Snack Koala Biscuit, according to the BFAD.

INQ

Wal-Mart Tightens Rules

Wal-Mart will require its China suppliers to adhere to a strict environmental and ethical standards - including specific social and environmental criteria and outside audits.

The company will, among others, track the origins of the products and ban forced and child labor used for manufacturing them. 

NYT

Delta Cribs Recall

1.6 Million Units

Delta Company of New York will recall 1.6 million cribs that were imported from China (and Taiwan & Indonesia as well).  Two babies already died from the faulty drop side function of the cribs.

The cribs were made between 1995 and 2007 and use a trigger lock design.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued the following safety tips for all parents who use cribs:

• Parents should not use any crib with missing, broken or loose parts.
• Hardware should be inspected from time to time and tightened to keep the crib sturdy.
• When using a drop side crib parents should check to make sure the drop side or any other moving part operates smoothly on its track.
• Always check all sides and corners of the crib for disengagement. Any disengagement can create a gap and entrap a child.
• Do not try to repair any side of the crib without manufacturer approved hardware or with tape, wire or rope.
• Putting a broken side up against the wall does not solve the problem and can often make it worse.

source

Even the Kinky is not Safe

A British sex shop chain suspended the sale of chocolate-flavored body spread imported from China after testing positive for melamine.

The British Food Standards Agency (FSA) said the deadly chemical melamine had been found in Chinese-made "I Love You" sets, which contains chocolate and strawberry body pens and chocolate-flavored penis and nipple spreads. These are sold at Ann Summers sex shops.

The products are:

'I love you' pen set containing:

• Chocolate body pen, 40g, best before: May 2010
• Strawberry body pen, 40g, best before: May 2010
• Chocolate flavoured willy spread, 40g, best before: 2010
• Chocolate flavoured nipple spread, 40g, best before: 2010

The novelty chocolate spreads were manufactured in Zhongshan, China, and imported into Britain by Scobie (Llarn) Lt.

Source

1,500 Chinese raccoon dogs Poisoned by Melamine

About 1,500 raccoon dogs died recently in China after ingesting melamine from the feeds.

The raccoon dogs, which are raised in China for their fur, died due to kidney failure, which they got from eating melamine-laced feed.

The feed,  produced by Harbin Hualong Feed Co., was tested to contain 500 parts per million of melamine.

source

Philippines to Test China Meat Products too

To side with caution, the Philippine National Meat Inspection Commission will also test two China-made canned luncheon meat sold in the country for melamine contamination. The two brands are Maling, made by Shanghai Foods Corp., and Pork Luncheon Meat, manufactured by Cofco Chongging Hechuan Food Industrial Co.

source: INQ

Update: No melamine on the following meat products: 

Argentina corned beef chunky 190 g

Changlong pork luncheon meet 170 g

Great Wall brand premium ham luncheon meat 340 g

Gulong china (Well known mark) pork luncheon meat 340 g

Liberty pork luncheon meat 375 grams

Maling Canned pork luncheon meat 397 g

Maling chunky corned beef 150 g

Maling pork luncheon meat 170 g

Maling pork luncheon 397 grams

Maling premium pork luncheon meat 397 grams

Maling Vienna sausage 140 g

Narcissus brand pork minced with bean paste 185 grams

Narcissus brand premium luncheon meat 397 g

Narcissus brand spiced pork cubes 142 grams

Narcissus brand stewed pork 397 grams

Pure Foods Chinese style luncheon meat 165 grams

Pure Foods corned beef 210 grams

Shanghai brand Chinese luncheon meat (new budget size) 165 grams

Taiwan Bans Baking Ingredient from China

Taiwan bans the importation of ammonium bicarbonate - used as raising agents in baked products - from China after testing positive for melamine contamination.

Tests showed that the ingredient from China contains 70-300 parts per million of melamine, far higher than the safe level of 2.5 ppm. 

Malaysia previously banned the importation of ammonium bicarbonate from China due to melamine contamination.

Herbal Injections Recall

Wandashan Pharmaceutical will recall all of its injectable products. Previously only the sales of the injectable herbal products using a Siberian ginseng called ciwujia were suspended.

Three people already died due to bacterial contamination of the products.

Deadly Herbal Injections

China's State FDA is recalling ciwujia herbal injections for testing positive to bacterial contamination.

Ciwujia is a type of Siberian ginseng, and the tainted herbal injection already resulted to 3 deaths, and three more patients experienced adverse reactions, including vomiting and coma. 

Xinhuanet

Malaysia Bans Baking Ingredient from China

Malaysia will ban the importation of a raising agent - ammonium bicarbonate - from China after testing positive for high levels of melamine, from 33 to 508 parts per million. The maximum allowed is only 2.5 ppm.

The country will also recall 12 brands of Khong Guan biscuits, and six brands of Khian Guan biscuits, which may have utilized the tainted ingredient. 

New Straits Times

Playkids Recalls Convertible Cribs

US Consumer Products Safety Commission and Playkids is recalling convertible cribs made in China.

The sides of the convertible crib are made of a mesh that expands, creating a gap between the mattress and the side through which an infant can slip. This poses suffocation and entrapment hazards for young children. It already resulted to one death in Brooklyn NY last August.

The convertible cribs, which were made in China, were sold in juvenile product retailers in New York from March 2007 through September 2008 for about $100.

Consumers should stop using the recalled convertible cribs immediately and contact Playkids USA to receive a full refund.

For additional information, consumers should contact Playkids USA collect at (718) 797-0302 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

CPSC release

China-made Tear Gas Deadly?

China-made tear gas may have resulted to the death and injuries of Thai protesters, according to a report.  

Thai police shot tear gar canisters to protesters in Bangkok last week, and the RDX explosives contained inside - designed to dispered the gas - reportedly wounded and killed some of the protesters. RDX is not a normal component of tear gas.

Thai police will destroy the remaining 2,000 canisters of China-made tear gas recalled from various agencies.

And Another...

Another China-made product - Lotte Strawberry Snack Koala Biscuit - is found with high levels of melamine in the Philippines.

There are now four diary products that tested positive for the chemical in the country, including Jollycow Slender High Calcium Low Fat Milk, Greenfood Yili Fresh Milk and Mengniu Drink.

Powered Rust Remover Downs Wedding Guests

Powdered rust remover, used to spice up a dish in a wedding banquet, downed 170 guests in northwest China. 

Good thing they did not serve milk tea and White Rabbit candies after dinner. 

more

France Bans Sweets

France banned White Rabbit candies and Koala biscuits from China after the foodstuffs were found to contain high levels of melamine. 

more

Melamine found in Cadburry Candies

Singapore found melamine in two brands of candies imported from China: blueberry and chocolate-flavored Cadbury Choclairs.

HongKong previously recalled the ff Cadbury products:

• Cadbury Dark Chocette, 45 grams.
• Cadbury Dark Chocette, 80 grams.
• Cadbury Eclairs, 180 grams.
• Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate Pumpkin, 150 grams.
• Cadbury Dark Chocolate, 40 grams.
• Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate Bulk Pack, 5 kilograms.
• Cadbury Dark Chocolate Bulk Pack, 5 kilograms.
• Cadbury Dairy Milk Hazelnut Chocolate Bulk Pack, 5 kilograms.
• Cadbury Dairy Milk Cookies Chocolate Bulk Pack, 5 kilograms.
• Cadbury Hazelnut Praline Chocolate (2008 Chinese New Year), 312 grams.
• Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate (2008 Chinese New Year), 300 gram

94,000 and Counting

Ninety thousand Chinese kids and infants are said to have been sickened by melamine-laced milk in China. 

Officially the Chinese government is saying nothing about how many are victimized by the scandal though.

China Sets Melamine Limit

China's Ministry of Health has set the max limit of melamine in milk products:

• 1 milligram per kg of infant formula
• 2.5 milligrams per kg of liquid milk, milk poweder and food containing at least 15% milk

The tainted milk in China was tested to contain melamine in the amounts ranging from 0.09 milligram to 2563mg  per kg. 

The US FDA previously stated that no amount of melamine in baby formula is to be considered safe, and I don't think I'd be reassured to consume any food that may contain even trace amounts of the toxic substance.

Blacklisted Infant Milk Brands in the Philippines

The Philippine Bureau of Food And Drugs  advises the public to avoid the following infant milk formulas:

Sanlu (Shijiazhuang Sanlu Group Inc.)
Panda Baby (Shanghai Panda Dairy Co. Ltd.)
Syrutra (Syrutra International Inc.)
Gucheng (Shanxi Gucheng Dairy Co. Ltd.)
Hero (Jiangxi Bright & Hero Dairy C)
Huimin/HMDP (Baoji Huimin Milk Co. Ltd.)
Mengniu (Mengniu Dairy)
Kocci (Duojiaduo Dairy Industry Tianjin Co. Ltd.)
Yaahili (Guangdong Yashili Group Co. Ltd.)
Nanshan Beiyi (Hunan Peiyi Dairy Co.)
Heilongjiang Qining Dairy Co.)
Yashili (Shanxi Yashili Dairy Co.)
Jinbishi (Shenzhen Jinbishi Milk Co. Ltd.)
Scient (Guangzhou Shien Dairy Co.)
Jinding (Guangzhou Jinding Dairy Co.)
Yili (Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co.)
Ausmeadow (Ausmeadow Nutriment Co. Ltd.)
Suncare (Aikeding, Qingdao Suncare Nutritional Technology Co. Ltd.)
Yubao (Xi'an Baiyue Dairy Co. Ltd.)
Leilei (Yantai Leilei Dairy Products Co. Ltd.)
Baoanli (Shanghai Bao'anli Dairy Co. Ltd.)
Hikid (Fuding Chenguan Dairy Co. Ltd.)

source

3rd Milk Brand Found with melamine in Philippines

The Philippine Department of Health announced that a third Chinese milk brand - Jolly Cow Slender Milk - is found to be contaminated with melamine.

Melamine Scandal Killing Farmers too

Vietnamese farmers are complaining about their inability to sell milk to factories after the tainted milk scandal in China surfaced - even though they don't put the said chemical on their products. Vietnamese consumers also stop buying milk altogether.  

Vietnam also found 23 milk products from China that were contanimated with melamine, and has recalled about 300 tons of tainted products so far. 

Iran Follows Suit

Joining the growing list of countries shunning Chinese dairy products, Iran said it will also ban the entry of milk products from China.

Melamine in 2 Cadbury Products

Hong Kong has announced it found high levels of melamine in 2 Cadbury products: Cadbury Dairy Milk Cookies Chocolate Bulk Pack 5kg, which contains 6.9 parts per million (ppm) of melamine; and Cadbury Dairy Milk Hazelnut Chocolate Bulk Pack 5 kg, which had 56 ppm of the industrial chemical.

The legal limit for melamine in HK is 2.5 ppm.

IHT

Kimchi This Time

South Korea has banned more and more Chinese-made kimchi, a fermented vegetable side dish, due to unwanted chemicals and unsanitary preparation. 

The imports from China were banned for containing such as tar colors and cyclamates, which are banned from all Korean foods because they carcinogenic. Numerous undocumented additives as well as bugs were found in the foodstuff. 

In 2005  South Korea banned kimchi from China after samples were found to contain parasite eggs.

more here and here 

List of Melamine-free Products in Philippines

These are the brands that tested negative to melamine contamination: 

* Anchor Lite Milk
* Anlene High Calcium, Low Fat Milk
* Bear Brand Instant
* Chic Choc Milk Chocolate
* Farmland Skim Milk
* Jinwei Drink
* Jolly Cow Pure Fresh Milk
* Kiddie Soya Milk Egg Delight
* Lactogen 1 DHA Infant Formula
* M&M Milk Chocolate Candy
* M&M Peanut Chocolate Candy
* Milk Boy
* Nestagen 2 DHA Follow-up Formula
* Nestagen 3 DHA Follow-up Formula
* Nido 3 Plus Pre-bio with DHA
* Nido Full Cream Milk Powder
* Nido Junior
* No Sugar Chocolate of Isomalt 2 Oligosaccharide (cocoa butter substitute)
* Nutri Express Milk Drink
* Pura Fresh Milk
* Snickers (roasted in caramel nogut in thick milk chocolate)
* Vitasoy Soya Milk Drink
* Wahaha Orange
* Wahaha Yellow
* Want Want Milk Drink
* Windmill Skim Milk Powder
* Yinlu Milk Peanut
* Yogi Yogurt Flavor Milk Drink

source: GMA7

BFAD website

2 Milk Brands Positive for Melamine in Philippines

The Philippine BFAD announced that two brands of Chinese milk tested positive for melamine contamination so far: Greenfood Yili Fresh Milk and Mengiu Drink. The agency will impose a total ban for the said products. Stores found selling the said products will also be closed and the owner charged with violation to the Consumer Act of the Philippines.

more

Fake Chips in Military Hardware

Businessweek has a piece about fake computer chips and other components that originated from China winding themselves inside American weapon systems, from F-15 jets and missile systems to bootleg Cisco routers used in military networks and the Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier.