Melamine Contamination - Khong Guan and Khian Guan biscuits

Just as the melamine contamination in dairy products first started in infant milk powder seemed to have blown over with no more infant deaths (Thank God) and only 5824 children remained hospitalised in China (11,000 were reported a week ago), the Malaysian Health Ministry reported of another melamine contamination discovered today. This time, it is much closer to home.

According to the Star newspaper today, melamine above safety limit was detected in 18 types of biscuits manufactured by Khong Guan and Khian Guan. The level of contamination is reported to be 33.4ppm and 508ppm for Khong Guan and Khian Guan respectively. The permissible level is only 2.5ppm. This round, the source of melamine is not in the dairy raw materials such as milk but found in the raising agent which is ammonium bicarbonate that was imported from CHINA (do I sound surprised??).

With this recent news of contamination, we could expect a possibility of more dairy products being tested positive since the contaminated ammonium bicarbonate could be used by many other biscuits manufacturers. So, the question remains unanswered. "What is safe for consumption?" "What else would be contaminated?".

Since we are so dependent on raw materials from China (believed to be much more cost economical for most manufacturers), it is therefore questionable as to what other raw materials imported could be contaminated, probably not with melamine but some other cancer causing agent for example.

If we can't even give Malaysian made biscuits to our children, what else can we give them?

Here is a list of biscuits reported with excessive melamine content from Khong Guan:-

• Biskut Soda
• Biskut Lemon Puff
• Biskut Lemon Pof
• Biskut Butter Cream
• Biskut baby Fish
• Biskut Healthy Cracker (not sure how healthy it would be now?)
• Biskut Cocoa Puf
• Biskut Sandwich Oren
• Biskut Family Crackers (yeah right. Family total contamination)
• Biskut Bentuk Binatang (Binatang is the word to describe those who use excessive melamine to make extra profit. Binatang meant `animal' or `beast' in Malay)
• Biskut Rokok (a cigarette biscuit? Meant for children? Are we sending the wrong message here?)
• Biskut Mini Puff

Here is a list of biscuits reported with excessive melamine content from Khian Guan:-

• Biskut Creamy Chocolate
• Biskut Lemon Puff
• Biskut Square Puff
• Biskut Cocoa Puff
• Biskut Jagung Puff

Meanwhile, White Rabbit is hitting the stores again as their new stock have been reportedly cleared of any melamine contamination in China. It was reported on Wednesday that Guan Sheng Yuan Group general manager announced that the new candies would carry a label that reads `No Melamine' to restore consumers confidence in the 50-year-old brand.

Yeah right. And those contaminated should carry a label that reads `Poisonous. Eat at your own risk. Ideal for suicide.'

Before too long, each product would require a label so long that lists down a list of poisons that we should not used in the first place. `No melamine, no cancer causing agent, no formaldehyde. no etc no etc....'. Now, that's comforting...