A release from the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department yesterday said that Creamy Evaporated Milk, Country Maid Evaporated Milk and Polly Sweetened Condensed Milk have all been pulled from shelves of shops in recent days over China’s melamine scare.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Health, which the department falls under, announced that it had recalled Milky Evaporated Milk because it was found to be contaminated with melamine.
And the Food and Drug Department said that it had also been notified by the importer of a consignment of 1,400 cartons of Morning Maid Full Cream Milk Powder on its way to Guyana.
The release said to date some 50 cartons of Milky and Creamy brands and 340 cartons of Country Maid brand have been seized from the markets and at an importer’s bond respectively.
“Consumers are being warned to carefully read labels of milk and milk products including chocolate, biscuits and candies to ensure these were not manufactured or packaged in China before making purchases,” the release said.
Meanwhile, the department is appealing to wholesalers and retailers of such products to voluntarily remove milk and milk products made in China from their shelves and to notify the department or the respective environmental health department promptly.
The release from the ministry on Saturday said that while the Milky Evaporated Milk was not seen in the large supermarkets, it was detected in a municipal market among small vendors.
The release had said that two unregistered importers were assisting the department in the recall exercise while intelligence received had informed that the product was imported through Suriname.
The decision by the department to remove milk packed or manufactured in China was taken because of the discovery of melamine in the milk in China and a worldwide recall, which is currently underway. The situation was first detected in China after four babies died and thousands of others fell sick after drinking a baby formula, which had the chemical. According to reports, melamine was added to the product to mask the protein level of the milk. Scientific research has indicated that the chemical affects the bladder and kidneys and results in bladder and kidney stones and chronic kidney inflammation.
The Food and Drug Department can be contacted on telephone numbers 222-4418, 222-4420 or 222-5734.
