Beware & Protect Yourself 01 (May 08 - Dec 08)

[winston]

And I drink quite abit of Kirin Milk Tea

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Another China milk product withdrawn

A FOURTH product containing traces of melamine has been recalled in Australia, as the fallout from the Chinese poisoned milk scandal continues to reverberate around the globe.

Kirin milk tea made in China has been withdrawn from sale after Australian tests revealed levels of melamine in products sold domestically.

"Consumers are advised not to consume Kirin milk tea made in China,'' Food Standards Australia New Zealand said today.

"Consumers should dispose of the product safely out of the reach of children.''

The recall of the blended drink follows the withdrawal from sale of the milk-based sweet White Rabbit, Cadbury chocolate eclairs made in China and Lotte Koala Biscuits.

Taiwan's health minister was admitted to hospital today after allegedly being attacked by Opposition lawmakers angry over the Government's response to the widening milk crisis.

Television footage broadcast on several networks showed the minister, Yeh Ching-chuan, being surrounded by a group of people, as reporters shouted "How can lawmakers hit people? Don't use violence.''

[winston]

Melamine Found In Snickers, Kit Kat Products From China

SEOUL, Oct 4 (Bernama) -- South Korea's food watchdog said on Saturday that it has detected quantities of melamine in chocolate products from foodstuff giants Nestle SA and Mars Inc. that were manufactured in China.

The Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) said 2.38 parts per million (ppm) and 1.78 ppm of the toxic substance was discovered in samples of M&M's Milk and Peanut Snickers Fun Size products, respectively, from Mars Korea.

A Kit Kat bar from Nestle Korea was also found to contain 2.89 ppm of melamine, South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted the agency as saying on Saturday.

The latest discoveries brings the local number of tainted food items to 10 amid a broadening scandal over Chinese dairy products.

Melamine is a nitrogen-based chemical that can pose serious health risks if ingested frequently or in large quantities. It is used widely in kitchen utensils, but if added to food items the nitrogen can artificially increase protein levels, translating into higher prices.

Chinese health officials have said the use of melamine in dairy products has killed at least four infants and left 54,000 others ailing from kidney stones or other illnesses.

The KFDA is currently in the process of examining 428 processed foods manufactured in China to see whether they contain the hazardous substance. It has completed checking 288 products as of Saturday morning.

[winston]

HIGH ALERT: Malaysia on look-out for melamine-tainted greens imported from China

KOTA KINABALU, SAT:

THE Health Ministry is now on high alert over vegetables imported from China.

“We have learnt from Korea that they have detected a high level of melamine in vegetables they import from China,” said Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai.

“We have launched a Level 4 check on all food products from China where we will take samples to ensure the products are safe for consumption before releasing it into the market,” he told reporters after attending the Sabah MCA convention here today.

Liow assured that melamine-tainted food products in the country were at the permissible level of 2.5 parts per million (ppm), whilst baby products contained one ppm.

[winston]

Hong Kong finds melamine in Cadbury candies

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong authorities says tests have showed the amount of melamine in Britain's Cadbury chocolate and cookies exceed a safe level for human consumption.

The two contaminated samples announced Sunday are among a list of 11 Chinese-made products being recalled in parts of Asia and the Pacific by the British candy maker.

The center says samples of the brand's Dairy Milk Cookies Chocolate and Dairy Milk Hazelnut Chocolate Bulk Pack have been found to contain melamine above the city's legal limit.

Calls to Cadbury offices in London and Asia Pacific went unanswered Sunday.

Cadbury has said preliminary tests showed traces of melamine in chocolates produced at its Beijing factory, but the exact level was not known.

[winston]

Safety concerns over China-made kimchi

South Korea has declared a rising volume of Chinese imported kimchi, or spicy fermented cabbage, to be inedible due to banned or harmful additives found in it, officials said.

The Korea Food and Drug Administration told parliament it blocked 1,637 tonnes of Chinese-made kimchi due to food safety concerns last year, up from 282 tonnes in 2006 and 279 tonnes in 2005.

The kimchi shipments were found to have "inedible'' additives such as cancer-causing artificial sweeteners or banned colorings, the food and drug agency said.

Kimchi, a traditional Korean dish, has been increasingly made from cheaper Chinese cabbage.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

[winston]

China exports toxic strawberry powder to Taiwan
Taiwan News, Website Editorial Staff

TAOYUAN (Taiwan News) - A company (甘百世) at Taoyuan Country sent their products to test and found out 6ppm melamine in the strawberry Sticks and 33ppm in another product, which was also made of strawberry powder. The company said the milk powder in cookies was imported from Australia and Netherlands, but the strawberry powder material was from another company at Taichung City (加川興業), which imported that from China.

Bureau of Health in Taichung City had dispatched and took the samples of dried strawberry to text at 23:00 on Oct. 3.

The general manager of the company (加川興業), said that only one of the five strawberry powder carbons was opened and supplied for the company (甘百世) this year. In addition, they had examined the products and did not find out pesticides and heavy metal when importing. However, melamine was not the test item then, they have sent the sample to test this morning.

by Taiwan News, Website Editorial Staff

[winston]

No news on melanine today

But Wikipedia Said So By Jason Holland

We've written in many times about the dangers of relying on websites when doing research. As a sports reporter from the UK tabloid The Daily Mirror recently found out, Wikipedia is one you really have to watch out for.

The reporter wrote that fans of the Cypriot football (that's soccer for you Yanks) team AC Omonia were known as "the Zany Ones." And he referred to their habit of wearing "hats made from shoes." But turns out this "background research" was drawn directly from the team's Wikipedia entry... which had been updated by an Internet prankster.

At least the reporter didn't totally embarrass himself. Here are a few of the Wikipedia "facts" he left out of his article: The fans' theme song is about a little potato, and they "keep their season tickets in the oven for safekeeping."

The Web is a great tool for research. But don't take any one website as gospel. Make sure you get confirmation from other sources.

[winston]

Don't use cold drugs in kids under 4: manufacturers
By Susan Heavey

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Oral cough and cold medicines sold over the counter should not be used in children younger than 4 years old because of the risk of rare complications linked to inappropriate use, manufacturers said on Tuesday.

Most problems occurred in children who were given the wrong dose or who took the medicine accidentally, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), which represents Procter & Gamble Co, Novartis AG and other big drugmakers, said.

"We're doing this out of an abundance of caution," the group's president, Linda Suydam, said.

"Research shows that dosing errors and accidental ingestions -- not the safety of the ingredients themselves when properly dosed -- are the leading causes of rare adverse events in young children," the group said in a statement.

The association said it made the decision in consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which last week held a public meeting to weigh the controversial use of such products in children.

Manufacturers have maintained that nonprescription cough and cold products are safe when used as directed.

But doctors and consumer advocates have called on the agency to reject use of the medicines in children as old as 12. They argued the products have never been proven safe and effective, making any risk too great to give them to children.

Reported complications have included seizures, stroke and other side effects.

For full story:-
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNe ... health1100

[winston]

Three dead in China after herbal injection: state media

BEIJING (AFP) — Three people have died in southwestern China after receiving a herbal injection, the government said, in the latest incident underlining the safety risks of Chinese-made products.

The deaths occurred in Yunnan province after six hospital patients received injections of Siberian ginseng extract, said an announcement posted Wednesday on the Ministry of Health website.

The incident comes as China grapples with the health and economic impact of the widespread contamination of the country's milk with an industrial chemical.

Melamine contamination of milk products has killed at least four children in China and sickened 53,000, according to figures released by the government last month, and has prompted bans or recalls of Chinese goods around the world.

The health ministry and China's top product safety watchdog have suspended sales and use of the ginseng injection, which was manufactured by Wandashan Pharmaceutical, based in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.

The six patients began to suffer chills, vomiting and sudden drops in blood pressure after receiving the injections on Sunday, a local health official in Yunnan's Honghe prefecture was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

Xinhua said Siberian ginseng is often used in China to treat heart disease and thrombosis.

China has been hit by one product safety scandal after another in recent years, severely tarnishing the image of Chinese-made goods abroad and prompting a government campaign to tighten up safety inspections.

[sidney]

Melamine is the foodstuffs equivalent of subprime. Meltdown now. Dun koe what food to eat now