According to the NYSDAM, it is typical with recalls of products that some store owners intentionally continue to carry the recalled products, while other may not have heard of the recall.
Melamine is an industrial chemical that is used as a coating in plastics and filters, and as a fire retardant.
Concerns over melamine-contaminated products from China have flared since September, when the Chinese government said that over 53,000 infants were seriously sickened by melamine-contaminated milk. In December, the Chinese government admitted they lied about the number of sick infants, and now claim that nearly 300,000 infants have been affected. Several Chinese infants died from melamine contamination, but the exact number is not known.
Chinese manufacturers have been intentionally adding melamine to milk and milk-derived products for years. The manufacturers water down milk to increase volume and profit. Nitrogen-rich melamine can make milk appear in tests as if it has high levels of protein.
No Action, But Concerns Expressed
No action will be taken over the contaminated cookies found in New York because the level of contamination was 0.97 ppm melamine, below the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approved level for melamine in food.
“Since this is well below the FDA tolerance level of 2.5 ppm, we will not be taking action on this sample,” said Steve Stich, Assistant Director of the NYSDAM Food Safety and Inspection division in an email obtained by The Epoch Times. “We will, however, keep our eyes out for similar products and continue sampling for melamine.”
The comments were part of an email to Judy Braiman, president and found of Empire State Consumer Project, a Rochester, NY-based consumer protection group. Braiman received the email with the test results on Dec. 5.
“These cookies are marketed to very young children,” said Braiman. “No child or adult should be exposed to any melamine in the food they consume.”
Canada and the state of Alabama both found and removed the same melamine-contaminated Koala’s March cookies from their shelves in early October.
Other Contaminated Products
Other melamine-contaminated products from China continue to be found for sale in the United States. Products include cookies, crackers, candy, and milk drinks. They are commonly found in Asian grocery stores. However, mainstream retail outlets also carry melamine-contaminated products.
On Dec. 5, national retail giant Walmart recalled 173 of their 9-inch high “Dressy Teddy Bear.” The bear holds a 4-oz. chocolate bar. The product's UPC number is 047475864485.
The FDA is also warning consumers that Topaz brand Hazelnut Wafer Rolls with hazelnut chocolate flavored crème filling might be contaminated with melamine. The product, which comes in a green and blue metal canister, is the most recent entry on the FDA’s warning list, but no specific information about where the product is sold or when the warning was issued is listed.
