Withdrawal of certain batches of White Rabbit sweets from China due to melamine contamination

Friday 3 October 2008

Food Alert: for Action

Ref: 50/2008

Certain batches of White Rabbit sweets have been tested by several Member States and found to be contaminated with melamine. The affected sweets were manufactured in Guanshengyuan Food General Factory in China and forwarded to Heng Cheung Company in Hong Kong, who supplied them to the Dutch company Liroy, and then distributed to a number of premises in the UK. The levels of melamine detected were at 11.25mg/kg, 152mg/kg and 80 mg/kg respectively. The products tested were White Rabbit sweet, 227g size with the two best before dates of 20-01-2010 and 20-05-2010.

On 26 September the European Commission adopted a decision (2008/757/EC) stating that any products from China containing more than 15% of milk products as an ingredient, and any products where the percentage of milk product content cannot be established, are now subject to documentary, identity and physical checks, including laboratory analysis. The aim is to ascertain that the level of melamine, if any, does not exceed 2.5 mg/kg product. Consignments will be detained pending receipt of laboratory test results. Any product containing over 2.5 mg/kg must be detained and destroyed without delay.

The Agency’s risk assessment, based on the EFSA statement, is that these specific products are likely to be a very low risk to health.