White Rabbit sweets withdrawn due to melamine contamination
Friday 3 October 2008
The Agency is alerting the public about certain batches of White Rabbit Creamy Candies from China which are on sale in the UK and have been found to contain melamine at levels of 11.25mg/kg, 152mg/kg and 80 mg/kg respectively.
The batches of 227g packs of White Rabbit Creamy Candies, manufactured by Guanshengyuan Food General Factory in China, are being withdrawn from sale and their destruction arranged by local authorities. The product has been distributed to Chinese supermarkets and other independent retailers across the UK.
Product details
The products being withdrawn are:
- White Rabbit Creamy Candies, 227g
Best before date: 20 January 2010
- White Rabbit Creamy Candies, 227g
Best before date: 20 May 2010
In addition, the following product has been withdrawn on a precautionary basis:
- White Rabbit Creamy Candies, 454g
Best before date: 20 May 2010
Melamine
Melamine is an industrial chemical which should not be present in food. However, at the levels found in the sweets, independent experts advise that the risk to health is likely to be very low. People who have bought the affected sweets do not need to take any action. If people do have concerns, they should email the Agency at melamine.enquiries@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk or ring the Agency helpline on 020 7276 8829.
All products from China containing more than 15% milk products, or any composite products where the percentage of milk product content cannot be established, are currently subject to documentary, identity and physical checks, including laboratory analysis, to determine that any levels of melamine present in the product do not exceed 2.5 mg/kg. Those products with more than 2.5mg/kg will be destroyed.
The alert issued by the Agency follows notification from the European Commission that the affected products have been distributed in the UK and similar action is being taken in other Member States. The Agency will continue to monitor the situation and take further action in the UK if necessary.
Food Alerts
If there is a problem with a food product that means it should not be sold, then it might be 'withdrawn' (taken off the shelves) or 'recalled' (when customers are asked to return the product). Food alerts are the FSA's way of letting local authorities and consumers know about problems associated with food and, in some cases, providing details of specific action to be taken. They are issued under two categories:
- Food Alerts: for Action
- Food Alerts: for Information
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