Melamine found in Nestle milk
2008-10-02 09:33
Taipei - Taiwan's health minister said on Thursday its tests have found minor doses of the industrial chemical melamine in milk powders produced in China by the Switzerland-based Nestle.
Minister Yeh Ching-chuan said milk powders Nestle produced in Heilongjiang Province in northeastern China were found to contain between 0.3-0.85 ppm (parts per million) of melamine.
"Such minor doses of melamine will not affect people's health ... but we will take them off shelves according to our recommended procedures," Yeh said.
He said Taiwan will in the meantime confer with food safety experts from US, Japan, Europe and the World Health Organisation to decide on whether to permit milk products containing traces of the chemical.
"We need to have a rational discussion on the matter because it also affects other countries," he said.
Melamine-contaminated milk has killed four babies and sickened more than 50 000 children in mainland China.
Nestle has taken out half-page newspaper advertisements to assure Taiwanese consumers of the safety of its milk products over the past two weeks.
Taiwanese authorities have launched a sweeping inspection of milk powders and related products, including instant coffee, milk tea and baked goods. More than 160 products containing Chinese milk and vegetable-based proteins have been removed from stores.
The Chinese milk scare and the economic losses have led to renewed Taiwanese animosity toward rival China. The two sides split amid civil war in 1949, and Beijing still claims the island a part of its territory.
A team of Taiwanese food experts met with their Chinese counterparts in Beijing over the weekend and decided to set up a mechanism to quickly inform the other side about any food safety problems.
- AP