Melamine-tainted biscuits and milk drink withdrawn

Four more products are being withdrawn from sale by the New Zealand importers after tests found the products contained levels of melamine above the threshold for investigation and likely to be the result of economic adulteration., says the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA).

Chinese-imported Lotte Koala strawberry and chocolate biscuits, Q-show biscuits and 220ml bottles of “Wahaha AD milk drink” have been found to contain 20, 3.7 and 9 ppm parts per million (ppm) of melamine, respectively.

The world accepted standard is 2.5 ppm and this is also NZFSA’s threshold for investigation.

Dr Geoff Allen, NZFSA Director (Compliance & Investigation), says risk assessments show at the melamine levels found, that even excessive daily intake of the products would still remain below internationally-accepted tolerable daily intakes, and so are most unlikely to pose any health risk to consumers.

“For instance, a 20kg child would need to eat ten packets of the Lotte biscuits regularly every day, just to reach the tolerable daily intake of the chemical,” he says.

“Even though there is little risk to consumers we have contacted the importers of the products and arranged with them that the products be removed from shop shelves.”

Only Lotte Koala biscuits from China are affected. Those from Japan and South Korea, which are more widely available in New Zealand, continue to be sold here.

Dr Allen says there are a very small number of samples of other products left to be tested, and NZFSA will publish those results on its website as they become available.

“If we find melamine at a level high enough to cause concern, we will act immediately and appropriately to warn the public,” he says.

“Our overriding priority at all times is the safety of consumers.”

People interested in receiving email updates can sign up to NZFSA’s website notification service.

The results, including risk assessments for products where melamine was detected, are available online at: http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/consumers/chemicals-nutrients-additives-and-toxins/melamine/index.htm

ENDS

For further comment contact: Geoff Allen, Director (Compliance & Investigation), 029-894 2518

For further information contact: Gary Bowering, Manager (Communications), 029-894 2532