Warning issued on Chinese coffees, candy

WASHINGTON – The powdered milk contamination scare that has killed four Chinese infants and sickened 53,000 more reached American shores Friday when the Food and Drug Administration recommended that consumers avoid a line of coffees and a candy made in China.

The instant coffees involved – Mr. Brown’s brand – are exported to the U.S. by King Car Food Industrial Co. Ltd. and are manufactured in China by Shandong Duqing Inc. King Car is recalling the products, along with a milk tea it produces, the FDA said.

The FDA also warned consumers not to eat White Rabbit candy from China, citing in part government testing in New Zealand that found “high levels” of the industrial compound melamine.

“In light of the widespread contamination of milk and milk-based products in China and the New Zealand Food Safety Authority’s finding, the FDA recommends that consumers not eat White Rabbit Creamy Candy,” the agency said.

The FDA said it is not aware of any illnesses in the U.S. linked to the candy or Mr. Brown’s products.

But the FDA’s action on the recalled coffee came four days after Canada took the same action in response to possible melamine contamination.

“I think they’re catching up to the rest of the world,” said Tony Corbo, the legislative representative of Food & Water Watch, a Washington-based consumer group. In response to written questions, FDA spokeswoman Stephanie Kwisnek said, “The FDA is still in the process of determining how wide-spread the distribution is of Mr. Brown products in the United States.  … The FDA is stopping every shipment of White Rabbit Candies and Mr. Brown coffee products at the ports and testing them.”

In China, powdered milk used to make baby formula was found several weeks ago to contain melamine, an ingredient that is used to make plastic and fertilizer. Initially the contamination was thought to be limited to Sanlu Group Co., a large dairy company that is owned in part by Fonterra, an international dairy corporation based in New Zealand.

As the crisis evolved and more infants fell ill with ailments that included kidney stones, Chinese authorities announced that products from as many as 22 other Chinese companies could be involved. They also revealed that the products may have been exported to other Asian countries.

Melamine contains nitrogen and can artificially boost protein level readings of such items as powdered foods, allowing exporters to charge more for what appear to be high-protein foods.

Melamine also was found last year in wheat flour from China that was used in North American pet food and animal feed. The pet food contamination led to the illness and deaths of thousands of pets.