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Mars, Nestle pull product in SKorea over milk scandal: official

Melamine had been found in M&M's milk chocolate snack and Snickers peanut Fun Size, both produced by Mars, and Kit Kat chocolate bars imported from Nestle Tianjin in China

SKorea bars increasing amounts of 'inedible' Chinese kimchi
South Korea has declared a rising volume of Chinese imported kimchi, or spicy fermented cabbage, to be inedible due to banned or harmful additives found in it, officials said Sunday. The Korea Food and Drug Administration told parliament it blocked 1,637 tonnes of Chinese-made kimchi due to food safety concerns last year, up from 282 tonnes in 2006 and 279 tonnes in 2005. The kimchi shipments were found to have "inedible" additives such as cancer-causing artificial sweeteners or banned colourings, the food and drug agency said. Kimchi, a traditional Korean dish, has been increasingly made from cheaper Chinese cabbage. The famed dish sparked a trade dispute with China in 2005, after South Korean inspectors said kimchi from China was contaminated with parasite eggs. The new report came amid a South Korean ban on all products containing Chinese powdered milk for fear of melamine contamination. Milk products tainted by the toxic industrial chemical usually used for plastics have sickened some 53,000 children in China and killed four of them. The South Korean agency, which has been inspecting 428 Chinese-processed food products already on sale here, on Saturday told multinationals Mars and Nestle to pull three of their products from the local shelves. The agency said it detected melamine in the snacks made in China by the multinationals, bringing to 10 the total number of goods recalled here since the melamine-tainted food scandal broke last month.
by Staff Writers
Seoul (AFP) Oct 4, 2008
Multinationals Mars and Nestle have been told to pull three products from South Korean shelves over the China milk scandal which has sickened thousands of babies, the nation's food watchdog said Saturday.

The Korea Food and Drug Administration said it detected the industrial chemical melamine in snacks made in China by the multinationals, bringing to 10 the number of goods recalled here since the scandal broke last month.

Melamine had been found in M&M's milk chocolate snack and Snickers peanut Fun Size, both produced by Mars, and Kit Kat chocolate bars imported from Nestle Tianjin in China, the administration said.

Mars was recalling its two products, but said the melamine levels detected were too small to pose a health risk, and called for a standard reporting limit of the chemical across Asia.

"Mars is recalling these products because it is legally obligated to do so following the announcement by the Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA)," Mars said in a statement.

"Minute traces of melamine are commonly found throughout the global food chain and melamine levels below 2.5 ppm are not deemed to indicate adulteration with melamine," it said.

"Mars calls for the adoption by food safety regulators across Asia of a harmonised reporting limit for melamine in line with the internationally accepted standards which will safeguard consumer health and provide reasonable guidance to the food industry."

KFDA said a melamine level of 2.38 parts per million (ppm) had been found in the M&Ms and 1.78ppm in Snickers peanut Funsize.

There was no immediate comment from Nestle Korea.

A KFDA official said South Korea does not allow any level of melamine in food. "No melamine in food is our standard," he told AFP.

The South Korean agency said it has been inspecting 428 brands of imported food in the wake of the scandal that broke last month. It has completed checks on 288 items and found 10 contaminated with melamine.

South Korea began the inspection after China said melamine, which is normally used to make plastics, was found in infant milk formula, sickening nearly 53,000 children and killing four.

In one of China's worst ever product recall scandals, countries from Asia to Europe have decided to suspend imports of Chinese milk products or to withdraw them from their market as the number of products involved grows.

South Korea has banned the import of all products containing Chinese powdered milk.

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Melamine found in Nestle milk products: minister
Taipei (AFP) Oct 2, 2008
Taiwan's health minister said Thursday six Nestle milk products were banned from sale after they were found to contain melamine.







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