health

Recall of Chinese products ordered

The products ordered pulled from store shelves may contain contaminated ingredients.

VICTOR AROSEMENA/LA PRENSA

Gilberto rEAL1097057

Food safety officials with the Autoridad Panameña de Seguridad de Alimentos (Aupsa) announced yesterday that it has recalled 56 products containing milk manufactured in China that may be tainted with melamine.

Aupsa Administrator Gilberto Real explained that the recall measure was decided upon following the World Health Organization’s health alert warning of the possible contamination of dozens of products by the industrial compound. In China, four babies have died and tens of thousands poisoned after consuming affected milk products.

Aupsa has also suspended import licenses for these and other Chinese food goods containing milk. Attempting to sidestep the import prohibition could result in fines ranging from $1,000 to $1 million.

“We want to protect consumer health and, until we have the certainty that these products do not contain melamine, we'll be aggressive in preventing their consumption,” said Real.

So far, initial suspicions have fallen on several candy items, among them the popular brand White Rabbit Creamy Candy, which were the first to be whisked off of shelves. Other sweets withdrawn from stores include cookies, chocolates and a variety of hard candies.

“For the moment, according to the analysis done, we haven’t detected melamine in any products,” he added.

César Siu, vice president of the Sociedad China de Panamá, said it is difficult to estimate the losses expected to follow the ban, since the number of businesses and the quantity of products affected is unknown. However, Siu assured consumers that retailers will cooperate with authorities because the public’s health is at stake.

According to Siu, there are a limited number of products that could be contaminated, and therefore called on the media to “avoid being alarmist.”

Officials from Aupsa, the Ministerio de Salud and the Autoridad de Protección al Consumidor y Defensa de la Competencia have began inspections of stores in Chinatown on Avenida B, and in the El Dorado and Los Pueblos shopping malls.