White Rabbit brand Chinese candy contaminated: Asian health officials

A popular brand of Chinese candy sold in Canada contains trace amounts of melamine, say health officials in Singapore and Hong Kong.

Shanghai-based Bright Food Group Ltd. said Tuesday it is checking its White Rabbit brand candy after Singapore announced Sunday that melamine was found in samples of the creamy candy, according to the Shanghai Daily newspaper.

Tests in Hong Kong confirmed the presence of melamine, an industrial chemical used to make plastics and fertilizer that can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure.

British supermarket chain Tesco removed White Rabbit candies from its shelves Tuesday.

Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials have not issued a warning or recall for the candy, but stressed that they are inspecting all milk-based products imported from China.

"We have contacted over 100 importers who bring in these products," spokesperson Marc Richard said Wednesday. "Samples are going through our labs."

"We can't discuss individual investigations until there are results. Once there is something to announce, we'll announce it."

White Rabbit candy is exported to Chinatowns around the world, including those in Toronto and Vancouver, says CBC's China correspondent Anthony Germain.

The news of contamination of White Rabbit candy comes a day after the CFIA advised Canadians not to consume three Mr. Brown 3-in-1 instant coffee products imported from China because they may contain melamine.

On Sunday, the agency also warned people not to consume Nissin Cha Cha Dessert, a Chinese dessert mix, made with Yili Pure Milk that was possibly tainted with melamine.

Nearly 53,000 children have been sickened and four have died in China after being fed baby formula tainted with melamine.

Tests showed that milk powder in China contained the chemical, which has no nutritional value but was added to make the product appear higher in protein levels when tested.

The crisis was initially thought to have been limited to Chinese milk powder but recent testing found melamine in samples of liquid milk taken from 22 Chinese companies leading to recalls of Chinese milk and dairy products sold around the world.