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Hershey's Says Chocolates Are Safe from Chinese Melamine Scandal

Candy-maker says U.S.-made products are untainted

By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs.com

September 30, 2008

• Chemnutra Owners Sentenced for Melamine-Tainted Pet Food • Virginia Child's Kidney Problems May Be Due to Melamine-Tainted Candy • Chinese Companies Pay $160 Million Over Melamine Scandal • Topaz Wafer Rolls Recalled on Melamine Fears • Melamine Triggers Recall of Cocoa from Canada • Vietnam Company Recalls Biscuits Due to Melamine • USDA Will Test Meat Products for Melamine • Melamine Found in Walgreens Chocolate Bars • Chinese Infant Death Toll from Tainted Formula Rises • Some Melamine in Infant Formula is OK, FDA Says • FDA Finds Melamine in U.S. Infant Formula • FDA Blocks Chinese Products Over Melamine Fears • Melamine Scandal Continues to Expand • FDA's Melamine Decision Scares Consumers • DeLauro Raps FDA On Melamine Risk Guidelines • FDA Issues Report On Melamine and Food Safety • Melamine-Tainted Chinese Candy Shows Up in U.S. • Hershey's Says Chocolates Are Safe from Chinese Melamine Scandal • Cadbury Recalls Chinese-Made Chocolates Due to Melamine • Melamine Scare Spreads to Mr. Brown Coffee • Chinese Gorillas Fall Ill as Melamine Scandal Widens • FDA Updates Chinese Infant Formula Warning • Asian Baby Death Toll From Infant Formula Rises • FDA Issues Warning on Chinese-Made Infant Formula

The Hershey Company, which manufactures and sells Cadbury chocolates in the United States, said it does not buy powered milk or other milk ingredients from China.

"All Hershey products use the highest-quality ingredients and are completely safe," the candy giant said in a written statement. "This includes Cadbury products manufactured and distributed in the United States by The Hershey Company."

The announcement follows Monday's recall of 11-types of Cadbury chocolates made in China. The British-based candy company took that action after the products tested positive for melamine.

"The products that are affected by this withdrawal include a range of Cadbury chocolate products and Choclairs, all produced in our Beijing plant," Cadbury said in a statement obtained by CNN.

The company said the products were exported to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, the Pacific island of Nauru and Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean.

Monday's recall is the latest action in China's every growing melamine-tainted milk scandal, which is blamed for the recent deaths of four infants in that country and the illnesses of 53,000 other children. Authorities say some Chinese dairy plants may have added melamine to milk products to make them appear to have higher protein levels.

Earlier this month, Chinese officials discovered melamine in powdered infant formula made in that country. It has since been found in dozens of other products.

Melamine is a chemical used to make plastic and fertilizers. It is blamed for the illnesses and deaths of thousands of dogs and cats in the United States last year. Doctors say melamine can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure.

Consumers and animals around the world have felt the ripple effects from China's melamine-tainted milk scandal, and the problems continue to spread.

The Taiwanese company that makes Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea has recalled seven of its products because of possible melamine contamination. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now warning consumers not to drink those products.

Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority has recalled Chinese-made White Rabbit Creamy Candies after the products tested positive for melamine. It also said other Chinese-made food had tested positive for melamine, including Dutch Lady-brand banana and honeydew flavored milk, Silang-brand potato crackers, and two kinds of puffed rice balls.

The FDA is now inspecting White Rabbit candy at ports of entry. No melamine-tainted goods from China have turned up, FDA officials said.

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority found high levels of melamine in Chinese-made White Rabbit Creamy Candies.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning consumers not to eat, distribute, or sell White Rabbit candy because of possible melamine contamination;

Two gorillas in China that drank the melamine-tainted milk powder have signs of kidney stones. Doctors at Hangzhou Wildlife World say the gorillas--ages one and three--have been diagnosed with crystallization in their urine. "The crystallization now is very small, but it will grow bigger and then block the urine," Zhang Xu, a doctor from the animal hospital where the two gorillas were being treated, was quoted as saying. "No visible stones have been found so far."

The FDA said it is not aware of any illnesses in the United States linked to the Chinese-made milk products.

It also assured consumers the infant formula in the United States is safe. U.S. companies that make infant formula are not importing formula or sourcing milk-based materials from China, the agency said.

FDA officials, however, warn that some Chinese-made infant formula could be on store shelves in Asian markets across the country. FDA investigators have inspected more than 1,400 of those stores, but have not found any suspect formula.

The FDA said it will continue to take proactive measures to ensure the safety of America's food supply. The agency is now testing a variety of products that could contain milk-derived ingredients from China. Those products include candies, desserts, and beverages.

Chinese officials are also cracking down on this problem.

Police in that country have arrested 40 people in connection with this scandal. On Monday, police napped 22 people in northern China's Hebei province, according to CNN. Nineteen of those people were managers of pastures, breeding farms and milk-purchasing stations, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Chinese police also raided 41 locations in Hebei and seized 490 pounds of melamine.

Meanwhile, Cadbury has recalled the following products because of possible melamine contamination:

• Cadbury Dark Chocette, 45 grams;

• Cadbury Dark Chocette, 80 grams;

• Cadbury Eclairs, 180 grams;

• Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate Pumpkin, 150 grams;

• Cadbury Dark Chocolate, 40 grams;

• Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate Bulk Pack, 5 kilograms;

• Cadbury Dark Chocolate Bulk Pack, 5 kilograms;

• Cadbury Dairy Milk Hazelnut Chocolate Bulk Pack, 5 kilograms;

• Cadbury Dairy Milk Cookies Chocolate Bulk Pack, 5 kilograms;

• Cadbury Hazelnut Praline Chocolate (2008 Chinese New Year), 312 grams;

• Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate (2008 Chinese New Year), 300 grams.

The company said it is now implementing new food safety and quality checks at its Beijing plant.

In related news, these are the Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea products recalled last week:

• Mr. Brown Mandheling Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1);

• Mr. Brown Arabica Instant Coffee (3-in-1);

• Mr. Brown Blue Mountain Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1);

• Mr. Brown Caramel Macchiato Instant Coffee (3-in-1);

• Mr. Brown French Vanilla Instant Coffee (3-in-1);

• Mr. Brown Mandhling Blend instant Coffee (2-in-1);

• Mr. Brown Milk Tea (3-in-1)

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