On Fri, 26 Sep 2008 19:18:54 -0500, My Name >
wrote:

>The Christian Science Monitor Sep 26, 6:14 PM EDT
>Baby cereal latest problem in China milk scandal
>By ANITA CHANG Associated Press Writer
>
>BEIJING (AP) -- The list of products caught in China's tainted
>milk scandal grew Friday to include baby cereal in Hong Kong
>and snack foods in Japan, while Taiwan reported three children
>and a mother with kidney stones in the island's first cases
>possibly linked to the crisis.
>
>The Japanese government also said it had suspended imports of
>milk and milk products from China, where some 54,000 children
>have developed kidney stones or other illnesses after drinking
>baby formula contaminated with the industrial chemical
>melamine. Four deaths have been blamed on the tainted milk.
>
>The latest problematic foods were Heinz baby cereal and Silang
>House steamed potato wasabi crackers. The Hong Kong government
>said in a statement Friday it found traces of melamine in the
>products, which were both made in mainland China.
>
>Hong Kong urged the manufacturers to stop selling the products
>in the Chinese territory. Pittsburgh, Pa.-based Heinz ordered
>a recall of the baby cereal as a precautionary measure
>following the government's announcement, it said in a
>statement on its Web site.
>
>Hundreds of international food companies have set up
>operations in China in recent years, exposing them to the
>country's notorious product safety problems. Melamine-tainted
>products have turned up in an increasing number of Chinese-
>made exports abroad - from candies to yogurt to rice balls.
>
>In Japan, the Marudai Food Co. pulled its cream buns, meat
>buns and creamed corn crepes from supermarkets a week ago and
>tests have found traces of contamination in several products,
>Japanese Health and Welfare Ministry official Mina Kojima said
>Friday.
>
>So far, there were no reports of health problems stemming from
>the contamination, she said. Marudai has sold more than
>300,000 of the products, most of which are believed to have
>been consumed.
>
>News of that contamination came after the Chinese territory of
>Macau said it detected melamine at 24 times the safety limit
>in products from another Japan-based company, Koala's March
>cookies made by Lotte China Foods Co. The company is a member
>of a Tokyo-based conglomerate, Lotte Group.
>
>An official at Lotte (China) Investment Co. Ltd. in Shanghai
>said Friday previous inspections had not shown any problems.
>
>"But now that it tested positive in Macau, we find it
>necessary to do the inspections all over again," said Guo
>Hongming, a legal assistant in Lotte Shanghai's corporate
>planning department.
>
>Some Hong Kong supermarkets pulled the chocolate-filled
>cookies off shelves Friday after the announcement by Macau
>authorities late Thursday. Cookie packages list whole milk
>powder as an ingredient.
>
>Only some types of milk powder and milk have been recalled in
>mainland China so far, but the maker of one of China's most
>popular candies said Friday it had halted sales because of
>suspected melamine contamination. White Rabbit candies have
>already been pulled from shelves around Asia and in Britain.
>
>Ge Junjie, a vice president of Bright Foods (Group) Co. Ltd.,
>was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency that
>the company was waiting for test results from the Shanghai
>Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau.
>
>"We decided to halt all sales of White Rabbit candy, although
>the test results have not yet come out," Ge said. Bright
>Foods' subsidiary Guangshengyuan produces White Rabbit.
>
>Meanwhile, Taiwanese authorities reported that three children
>who consumed Chinese milk formula had developed kidney stones,
>and doctors were checking whether their illnesses were linked
>to tainted products.
>
>The two 3-year-old girls and a 1-year-old boy traveled
>frequently between Taiwan and China with their parents, said
>Liu Yi-lien, health chief of the Ilan county government in
>eastern Taiwan. One of the girls' mothers also has kidney
>stones, he said.
>
>"They have all consumed Chinese milk, but more tests are
>needed to establish the link to their kidney stones," Liu
>said.
>
>The cases are the first reports of illnesses on the island
>that could be related to tainted Chinese milk products. Six
>children have also become ill from melamine-tainted products
>in the Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macau.
>
>Still, the World Health Organization said it did not expect
>the number of victims to grow dramatically.
>
>WHO China representative Hans Troedsson said public awareness
>of the issue meant many young children were getting health
>checks and avoiding tainted products.
>
>"I think we will see some more cases, but not the high number
>like so far," he said. "I think the recall and more thorough
>investigation and testing are now starting to eliminate some
>of these contaminated products from coming out to the public."
>
>On Thursday, the European Union banned imports of baby food
>containing Chinese milk. The move by the 27-nation EU adds to
>the growing list of countries that have banned or recalled
>Chinese dairy products because of the contamination.
>
>Health experts say ingesting a small amount of melamine poses
>no danger, but in larger doses, the chemical - used to make
>plastics and fertilizer - can cause kidney stones and lead to
>kidney failure. Infants are particularly vulnerable.
>
>Chinese suppliers trying to cut costs are believed to have
>diluted their milk while adding melamine because its nitrogen
>content can fool tests aimed at verifying protein levels.
>
>---
>
>Associated Press writers Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Dikky Sinn
>in Hong Kong and Annie Huang in Taipei contributed to this
>report.
>
>http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/sto...INA_TAINTED_MI
>LK?SITE=MABOC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME =2008-09-26-
>18-14-10

It appears that this old whore of a country has to outsource it's
basic food production! No wonder the former icon of America is called
"Uncle Suckemoff"!

ted