Salud Orders Removal Of
Chinese Candies From
Store Shelves
The Ministerio de Salud
(Health Ministry) has
ordered the removal from
store shelves all
candies produced in
China and sold in Costa
Rica under the "White
Rabbit" brand.
The Salud move is a
preventive measure
following an analysis by
the Universidad de Costa
Rica (UCR) to detect if
the candies contained "melamina".
Melamina was responsible
for the intoxication of
thousands of children
and killing four in
China.
The ministra de Salud,
María Luisa Ávila Agüero,
call on the public not
to purchase the candies
and not consume them if
they have them at home.
The recall order was
issued yesterday
(Friday), asking all
retain outlets to take
the products off the
shelf and return it to
the supplier. Any
retailer not complying
with the order faces
sanctions that could end
up in the closure of the
business, according to
Salud officials.
"We have sent notice to
the importer to
immediately remove the
product from the
market", said Ávila.
The products of
attention are the "Caremlo
con leche" under the
White Rabbit brand,
flavoured with either
strawberry or chocolate.
Melamine is used
combined with
formaldehyde to produce
melamine resin, a very
durable thermosetting
plastic, and melamine
foam, a polymeric
cleaning product. The
end products include
countertops, dry erase
boards, fabrics, glues,
housewares and flame
retardants.
Ingestion of melamine
may lead to reproductive
damage, or bladder or
kidney stones, which can
lead to bladder cancer.
Earlier this month,
several Chinese
companies were
implicated in a scandal
involving milk and
infant formula which had
been adulterated with
melamine. By 22
September, nearly 53,000
illnesses, over 12,800
hospitalizations, and
four infant deaths had
been reported, caused by
kidney stones and other
renal failure. The
chemical appeared to
have been added to milk
in order to cause it to
appear to have a higher
protein content.
Melamine may have been
added to fool government
quality tests after
water was added to
fraudulently increase
the milk's volume, since
melamine will cause a
false increase in the
measurement of protein
by increasing the
nitrogen levels in the
milk. World health
officials estimate that
about 20 percent of the
dairy companies tested
in China sell products
tainted with melamine.
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