BSTI to test Cadbury imports for melamine
Monday, 6 October 2008
Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution has collected samples of Cadbury's chocolate bars imported from five countries to test for the contaminant melamine, in the continued fallout from the Chinese milk-scare, reports bdnews24.com
The BSTI director general Md Ajmal Hossain said Sunday: "We collected samples of Cadbury's chocolate imported from India, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Australia and the United Kingdom to test their ingredients for 'melamine'."
"The samples were sent to a private laboratory Plasma Plus for testing on Saturday."
Replying to a query, the BSTI boss said: "Imported chocolates are not usually laboratory tested. We plan to take necessary steps in this regard in future."
He added that it might take a few days to yield results, as such tests are being conducted "for the first time" in the country.
Asked why BSTI didn't carry out the tests in their own laboratory, Hossain said: "Because this private laboratory has already successfully ascertained the presence of 'melamine' in one brand of (banned) milk powder recently."
The health adviser AMM Shawkat Ali Thursday advised people not to consume Cadbury's products for the time being.
British-based Cadbury Plc said last week it was withdrawing all of its 11 chocolate products made in Beijing on concern over the possibility of contamination with melamine in its Chinese plant.
The confectionery group is the latest company to get caught up in the tainted-milk scandal, as a growing list of Chinese milk and milk-related products have been taken off shelves around the world in recent weeks.
Melamine was first found in powdered infant formula in China, where four babies died and nearly 53,000 were sick. It has since been traced to dozens of other products.
Melamine is a relatively cheap industrial chemical, commonly used in coatings and laminates, wood adhesives, fabric coatings, ceiling tiles and flame retardants.
Over here, the government banned three brands of Chinese milk powder in the wake of the milk scare, though at least two Bangladeshi firms have since been found marketing the products without BSTI approval and mobile courts have seized tins in the open markets over recent days.
The government said Chinese authorities had earlier informed Bangladesh of the possible existence of melamine in the products of two companies Sun Care and Yashli, who manufacture 'Sweet Baby' and 'Yashli-1' and 'Yashli-2' milk powders.
Melamine content has been detected in the banned milk formula Yashli -1, by the private laboratory Plasma Plus, the BSTI head told bdnews24.com last week.
Meanwhile CNN reports adds, Chinese authorities say the latest test of dairy products found no traces of the industrial chemical melamine that has been blamed for thousands of deaths.
A test of 607 batches of liquid milk from 27 cities found the samples to be melamine-free, state-run media announced on Saturday.
AP report add, Hong Kong's food safety agency said Sunday it has found unsafe levels of the industrial chemical melamine in two chocolate products made by British candy maker Cadbury at its Beijing factory.
The two items were among 11 Chinese-made products that have already been recalled by Cadbury in parts of Asia and the Pacific.
Hong Kong's Center for Food Safety said samples of the two products contained considerably more melamine than the city's legallimit of 2.5 parts per million.
Cadbury's Dairy Milk Hazelnut Chocolate Bulk Pack contained 56 parts per million of melamine, while Dairy Milk Cookies Chocolatecontained 6.9 parts per million, the center said.
"Based on the levels detected, the public is advised to stop consuming the products concerned," a center spokesman said in a statement.
Calls to Cadbury offices in London and Asia Pacific went unanswered Sunday.
Cadbury last week ordered a recall of its Chinese-made products after its own preliminary tests revealed what it said were traces of melamine in chocolates produced at its Beijing factory.
The Hong Kong food safety center tested other Cadbury products during the past week and found them to have legally acceptable melamine levels.
Baby formula containing melamine has been blamed for killing fourbabies and sickening about 54,000 in mainland China.
The chemical has since been found in an array of food products,forcing a wave of recalls, mostly in Asia.
Authorities say Chinese suppliers might have added melamine, which is rich in nitrogen, to watered-down milk to deceive quality tests for protein.
The BSTI director general Md Ajmal Hossain said Sunday: "We collected samples of Cadbury's chocolate imported from India, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Australia and the United Kingdom to test their ingredients for 'melamine'."
"The samples were sent to a private laboratory Plasma Plus for testing on Saturday."
Replying to a query, the BSTI boss said: "Imported chocolates are not usually laboratory tested. We plan to take necessary steps in this regard in future."
He added that it might take a few days to yield results, as such tests are being conducted "for the first time" in the country.
Asked why BSTI didn't carry out the tests in their own laboratory, Hossain said: "Because this private laboratory has already successfully ascertained the presence of 'melamine' in one brand of (banned) milk powder recently."
The health adviser AMM Shawkat Ali Thursday advised people not to consume Cadbury's products for the time being.
British-based Cadbury Plc said last week it was withdrawing all of its 11 chocolate products made in Beijing on concern over the possibility of contamination with melamine in its Chinese plant.
The confectionery group is the latest company to get caught up in the tainted-milk scandal, as a growing list of Chinese milk and milk-related products have been taken off shelves around the world in recent weeks.
Melamine was first found in powdered infant formula in China, where four babies died and nearly 53,000 were sick. It has since been traced to dozens of other products.
Melamine is a relatively cheap industrial chemical, commonly used in coatings and laminates, wood adhesives, fabric coatings, ceiling tiles and flame retardants.
Over here, the government banned three brands of Chinese milk powder in the wake of the milk scare, though at least two Bangladeshi firms have since been found marketing the products without BSTI approval and mobile courts have seized tins in the open markets over recent days.
The government said Chinese authorities had earlier informed Bangladesh of the possible existence of melamine in the products of two companies Sun Care and Yashli, who manufacture 'Sweet Baby' and 'Yashli-1' and 'Yashli-2' milk powders.
Melamine content has been detected in the banned milk formula Yashli -1, by the private laboratory Plasma Plus, the BSTI head told bdnews24.com last week.
Meanwhile CNN reports adds, Chinese authorities say the latest test of dairy products found no traces of the industrial chemical melamine that has been blamed for thousands of deaths.
A test of 607 batches of liquid milk from 27 cities found the samples to be melamine-free, state-run media announced on Saturday.
AP report add, Hong Kong's food safety agency said Sunday it has found unsafe levels of the industrial chemical melamine in two chocolate products made by British candy maker Cadbury at its Beijing factory.
The two items were among 11 Chinese-made products that have already been recalled by Cadbury in parts of Asia and the Pacific.
Hong Kong's Center for Food Safety said samples of the two products contained considerably more melamine than the city's legallimit of 2.5 parts per million.
Cadbury's Dairy Milk Hazelnut Chocolate Bulk Pack contained 56 parts per million of melamine, while Dairy Milk Cookies Chocolatecontained 6.9 parts per million, the center said.
"Based on the levels detected, the public is advised to stop consuming the products concerned," a center spokesman said in a statement.
Calls to Cadbury offices in London and Asia Pacific went unanswered Sunday.
Cadbury last week ordered a recall of its Chinese-made products after its own preliminary tests revealed what it said were traces of melamine in chocolates produced at its Beijing factory.
The Hong Kong food safety center tested other Cadbury products during the past week and found them to have legally acceptable melamine levels.
Baby formula containing melamine has been blamed for killing fourbabies and sickening about 54,000 in mainland China.
The chemical has since been found in an array of food products,forcing a wave of recalls, mostly in Asia.
Authorities say Chinese suppliers might have added melamine, which is rich in nitrogen, to watered-down milk to deceive quality tests for protein.