Chinese Milk Scandal Hits US Shelves

October 6, 2008 By Tisha (Kulak) Tolar

Melamine is a chemical used to make fertilizers and plastic and it is being blamed for the deaths of four babies and the root cause of over 50,000 cases of illness in children in China. However, new reports have found melamine-infected candy on store shelves in the United States, particularly in the states of California and Connecticut.

In early September, officials in China found evidence of the chemical in powdered infant formula, which caused the deaths of the infants. After further investigation, melamine has shown up in other merchandise, including milk products. Last year, prior to the September incidents, pet food was quickly pulled from store shelves all over the country after melamine was found by the Food and Drug Administration. Many pets became seriously ill and many died after eating the tainted food.

Product Being Recalled

The candy that has been subsequently recalled by the US distributor is called White Rabbit Creamy Candy. It is sold in packages of 8 and 16 ounces and is available in flavors such as Red Bean, Coffee, Mango, Strawberry, Lychee, Corn, and Assorted. The package contains a logo with the words “White Rabbit” and a picture of one.  The US distributor noted that the candy was distributed in several states, including New York, California, Georgia, Oregon, Hawaii, Illinois, Texas, Washington, and Minnesota.

While the United States has removed the White Rabbit candy from the stores, other countries have also been faced with a melamine-tainted product crisis. Several products exported from China have tested positive for melamine but none of those products have been distributed to the United States. In Britain, the makers of Cadbury chocolate candies recalled 11 Chinese-made chocolates due to contamination concerns. However, in the US, Cadbury chocolates’ is manufactured by the Hershey Company, which does not purchase milk products or other ingredients from China. Hershey ensure that their products are safe and not related to the British Cadbury recall.

When ingested, melamine can cause stones in the kidneys and lead to complete failure in the kidneys. Officials in the US have not been notified of any illnesses linked to the tainted candy and the FDA pointed out that infant formula in the US is safe as formula companies have not been importing Chinese-made ingredients for the purpose of manufacturing powdered or liquid formulas.

Posted in miscellaneous, personal behavior, shopping

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