Health - White Rabbit Candy recalled

BURLINGAME, Calif., Sep 26, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said White Rabbit Candy is being recalled because it may be contaminated with melamine.

QFCO, Inc. said the candy, made in China, was distributed in California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Texas and Washington.

The importer, based in California, said the recall includes White Rabbit Creamy Candy in 8-ounce and 16-ounce packages and all other flavors of White Rabbit Candy -- assorted, chocolate, coffee, red bean, corn, lychee, mango and strawberry -- sold in 7-ounce packages.

No illness have been reported, the company said Friday in a release issued through the FDA.

China Daily said White Rabbit Candy is a household name in China and is exported to more than 50 countries and regions.

A Shanghai-based Guanshengyuan company, which exports the candy to 50 countries, had previously recalled all exports after the Singapore authorities found that the sweet contained melamine, the industrial chemical at the heart of a tainted milk scandal which has killed at least four babies and made 53,000 people in China sick.

An official Xinhua News Agency report stated that the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau are still testing White Rabbit candy for melamine.

MarketPlace store manager, Thomas Kunz and assistant store manager, Joselito Ramos, immediately pulled the candy off their shelves yesterday once they were alerted to the situation.

A spokesman told The Royal Gazette: "We have pulled the product off the shelves and have notified Consumer Affairs. They will then notify the health department who will take the necessary actions.

"If anyone has purchased this product we ask that you please return it to our store for a refund."

The spokesman said that they were unaware of the recall as they received their products from a distributor in New York, Mon Chong Loong Trading Corporation, which was also unaware of the recall.

"We are now trying to back track to find out where the breakdown of communication came from.

"However, when you are dealing with a company such as this one in China, anything can happen," said Mr. Kunz.

The White Rabbit Creamy Candy is sold in eight or 16 oz packages.

All other flavours of White Rabbit Candy, including Assorted (Chocolate, Coconut, and Coffee), Red Bean, Coffee, Corn, Lychee, Mango and Strawberry are sold in seven oz. packages.

All packaging has a logo of a white rabbit on the front with the words 'White Rabbit'.

Cadbury's Chocolate Safe in U.S.
Cadbury's Chocolate Recall Limited to Asia, Australia; Company Notes Melamine Risk
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Sept. 29, 2008 -- The chocolate company Cadbury is temporarily taking certain chocolate products off the market -- but only in Asia and Australia.

In a news release, Cadbury calls the move a "precautionary step" because some Chinese dairy products are tainted with melamine, a chemical that artificially makes milk appear to have more protein.

Melamine can cause kidney diseases. In China, three babies have died and more than 54,000 have sought medical treatment related to melamine-tainted dairy products, according to the World Health Organization.

The FDA is following China's melamine problem. As of Sept. 25, FDA testing of milk-based products imported into the U.S. from China hadn't turned up any melamine contamination. The FDA warns against using Chinese-made infant formulas, which aren't approved for sale in the U.S.
Cadbury Chocolate

Cadbury is withdrawing a range of its chocolate products and Choclairs -- all made at Cadbury's Beijing plant -- from the market in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Australia.

Cadbury products made at that plant are only exported to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Australia.

Cadbury Eclairs are also temporarily coming off the market in Australia because they were made in Beijing. Cadbury states that a "small amount" of that product had also been exported to Christmas Island (an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean), and the South Pacific island nation of Nauru.

"No other products and countries are affected and consumers in all other countries can continue to enjoy our products with confidence," states Cadbury, adding that "Chinese dairy products are not used in any other Cadbury products we manufacture outside China."

Cadbury plans to get those products back on the market in Asia and Australia as soon as possible.
Other Melamine Recalls

Although Cadbury products sold in the U.S. are safe to eat, another sweet -- White Rabbit Candy -- is being recalled because it might be tainted with melamine.

QFCO Inc. of Burlingame, Calif., is recalling White Rabbit Candy, which was distributed in California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington state. All packages have a logo of a white rabbit on the front with the words "White Rabbit." No illnesses have been linked to White Rabbit Candy.

You can return White Rabbit Candy to the place of purchase for a full refund. For more information on the White Rabbit Candy recall, call QFCO at 650-697-6633.

Last week, the FDA also warned consumers to avoid seven Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea products made by the Taiwanese company King Car Food Industrial Co. Ltd because the nondairy creamer used to make those products may contain melamine. Those products are:

* 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)

Source : UP