Cadbury says Chinese-made products questionable

[September 29, 2008]  HONG KONG (AP) -- British chocolate maker Cadbury said Monday that tests have "cast doubt" on the safety of its Chinese-made products and ordered a recall, the latest foreign company affected by China's tainted milk scandal.

Meanwhile, two U.S. food makers were investigating Indonesian claims that high traces of melamine were found in Chinese-made Oreos, M&Ms and Snickers.

Cadbury said in a statement it has recalled 11 chocolate products made at its factory in the Chinese capital Beijing, which are distributed in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Australia.

Tests "cast doubt on the integrity of a range of our products manufactured in China," Cadbury said in the statement issued from its office in Singapore.

It was not immediately clear whether the tests revealed melamine, the industrial chemical at the center of China's recent milk scandal.

An Asia spokeswoman for Cadbury did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press.

The company said all of its dairy suppliers have been cleared by government milk testing.

China's recent food safety scandal started with the discovery of melamine in baby milk powder.

Four deaths have been blamed on the bad milk, and some 54,000 children have developed kidney stones or other illnesses after drinking the contaminated baby formula.

Authorities say suppliers might have added melamine, which is rich in nitrogen, to watered-down milk to deceive quality tests for protein.

Two U.S. food makers were investigating Indonesian claims that high traces of melamine were found in Oreos, M&Ms and Snickers, but stressed the same goods tested negative in other Asian countries.

They said they were looking into all possibilities, including counterfeiting.

The milk scandal erupted this month when the public learned that melamine, which is used to make plastics and fertilizer, had been found in milk powder and was linked to kidney stones in children. Contamination has since turned up in liquid milk, yogurt and other products made with milk.

Four deaths have been blamed on the bad milk and some 54,000 children have developed kidney stones or other illnesses after drinking tainted baby formula. Countries across Asia have removed items from shelves or banned them outright.

Myanmar added its name to the list Monday, saying dairy items from China would be barred from entering its military-ruled country. The Philippines, meanwhile, warned exporters they would be locked out of the market if they did not fully disclose the origins of their products.

"Of course it's always good to have evidence rather than just speculate, but we will have to shift the burden of proof to them because our duty is to protect public health," said Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque III in laying out the new regulations.

[Associated Press; By MIN LEE]

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