BY GERARD NAVAL

TWO China-made products were found positive for melamine, the Department of Health and the Bureau of Food and Drugs said yesterday.

Greenfood Yili Fresh Milk and Mengniu Drink were found to have crossed the 1 parts-per-million testing threshold for the industrial chemical, said Health Secretary Francisco Duque.

The rest of the 30 milk products that have so far been tested by BFAD were found negative.

"These products are now being de-listed, even those bearing the label of ‘Made in China,’" Duque said.

BFAD is conducting tests on 200 other products and might come out with another list on Tuesday, said BFAD director Leticia Gutierrez.

Maria Lourdes Santiago, officer in charge of BFAD’s Laboratory Testing unit, said the two products found positive for melamine are considered permanently banned from the market until these pass the "good manufacturing practice" requirement of the bureau.

Duque said products bearing the same name but carrying English translations in their labels cannot be automatically labeled as positive for melamine. But, he added, these products are "most likely coming from a same source."

Gutierrez said products bearing Chinese labels are smuggled because the government requires locally sold products to have English translations.

The 28 found negative for melamine were Anchor Lite Milk, Anlene High Calcium Low Fat Milk UHT (recombined), Bear Brand Instant, Chichok Milk Chocolate, Farmland Skim Milk, Jinwei Drink, Jolly Cow Pure Fresh Milk;

Kiddie Soya Milk Egg Delight, Lactogen 1 DHA Infant Formula, M&M’s Milk Chocolate Candies, M&M’s Peanut Chocolate Candies, Milk Boy, Nestogen 2 DHA Follow-up Formula and Nestogen 3 DHA Follow-up Formula;

Nido 3+ Prebio with DHA, Nido Full Cream Milk Powder, Nido Junior, No-Sugar Chocolate of Isomaltooligosaccharide (Cocoa Butter Substitute), Nutri-Express Milk Drink, PURA UHT Fresh Milk;

Snickers Fresh Roasted in Caramel & Soft Nougat in Thick Milk Chocolate, Vitasoy Soya Bean Milk, Wahaha Orange, Wahaha Yellow, Want-Want Milk Drink (Red Can), Windmill Skim Milk Powder, Yinlu Milk Peanut, and Yogee Yoghurt Flavor Milk Drink.

Duque said his department would recommend legal action against the manufacturers of the two products.

BFAD legal officer Emilio Polig said retailers of the banned products could be held liable for violation of the Consumer Act "for selling products that are declared banned."

Duque advised parents whose children consumed the banned products to watch for incessant crying of infants without apparent reason, children experiencing difficulty in urinating, sudden loss of weight and appetite, and pains in the kidney area.

Four infants in China have died from the contaminated milk that has caused kidney ailments.

Duque said health officials have not monitored any case of kidney stones among infants that could be immediately related to melamine contamination.

Gutierrez said the temporary ban on all China-made milk and milk by-products remains, except those found to be negative for melamine.

Duque said they have not commissioned Qualibet Testing Services Inc. to conduct tests on China-made products.

Duque’s statement came amid reports that Qualibet found eight out of the 14 products tested to be positive for melamine, including non-milk products such as luncheon meat and corned beef.

"It is not good to add more confusion by testing and releasing results because it just adds to the already jittery and uncertainty of the public," Duque said.

BFAD earlier released a list of authorized laboratories that could undertake melamine testing but noted that results should be validated by BFAD before being made public.

Global confectionery giant Hershey Company said its products are melamine-free because it has never sourced raw materials from China.