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Melamine Scare Spreads to Mr. Brown Coffee

Chemical blamed for deaths of infants, pets found in instant coffee, tea milk products

By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs.com

September 26, 2008

China's melamine-tainted milk scandal — blamed for at least four deaths — has now spread to instant coffee and milk tea products.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today warned consumers not to drink the Taiwanese-made Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea products because of possible melamine contamination.

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

The Taiwanese company that makes the instant coffee and milk tea — King Car Food Industrial Co. Ltd — has recalled the following products:

• 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)

The FDA asked retailers and food service operators to remove the products from sale or service.

FDA officials continue testing milk-based products imported from China and have not found any melamine contamination.

Other countries, however, have found melamine in food products from that country.

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority said it found high levels of that chemical in the Chinese-made White Rabbit Creamy Candies.

And the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is now warning consumers not to eat, distribute, or sell that brand of candy because of possible melamine contamination.

Earlier this week, Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority recalled those 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 has added White Rabbit candy to its list of products being inspected at ports of entry.But no melamine-tainted goods from China have turned up.

Gorillas

• 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

In related news this week, two gorillas in China that drank melamine-tainted milk powder now 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," he added.

Meanwhile, the FDA said it is not aware of any illnesses in the United States linked to White Rabbit Creamy Candy or the Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea products.

The melamine-tainted milk scandal surfaced earlier this month when Chinese officials said infant formula made in that country — by a company called Sanlu Group — was contaminated with melamine.

That tainted formula is now blamed for the deaths of four babies in China – and the illnesses in 53,000 others in that country.

But FDA officials say 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 and 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. It is now working with state and local officials, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, other federal agencies, and foreign governments, in those efforts.

Meanwhile, FDA officials continue testing a wide variety of products that could contain milk-derived ingredients from China. Those products include candies, desserts, and beverages.

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