SA chocolates safe

2008-09-29 21:10

Verashni Pillay

Johannesburg - SA chocolate manufacturers say consumers needn't worry that local products might have been contaminated following the tainted milk scandal in China.

Cadbury in Britain on Monday became the latest country to withdraw all its products made in China.

But the company's South African operations are unaffected, says a spokesperson at Cadbury's head office in Johannesburg, Michelle Meiring.

"We don't import any products or ingredients from China," said Meiring.

"We have no such plans because it does not affect our local market at all," she told News24.

Meiring said the countries affected were Taiwan, Hong Kong and Australia.

Local milk

While she acknowledged that South African milk shortages have affected the company, Cadbury still sourced its milk locally.

"We get most of ours locally," Meiring said of the company's milk supply. "There are some imports, but definitely not from China."

Nestlé in South Africa also said that none of their products had been affected.

"Nothing will be recalled from our side," Nestlé South Africa spokesperson Theo Mxakwe told News24.

He said the milk used by the company was still sourced locally despite the milk shortages.

Products seized

Last week, the Health Department announced that it would seize all Chinese products containing milk - including White Rabbit sweets.

All products imported from China with "milk", "dairy", "whey", "lactose" and "casein" listed on the ingredient label will be detained.

South Africa has not imported any milk from China since 2005.

The tainted milk scandal erupted earlier this month when China's public learned that melamine, which is used to make plastics and fertiliser, had been found in milk powder and was linked to kidney stones in children, AP reported.

Four deaths have been blamed on the tainted milk and about 54 000 children have developed kidney stones or other illnesses after drinking tainted baby formula.

- News24