ROCKVILLE, Md., Sept. 26 -- The FDA said today that seven instant coffee and tea products sold in the United States are being recalled by King Car Food Industrial because of possible contamination with melamine.
The products, all sold under the "Mr. Brown" label, are made by Shandong Duqing, a Chinese manufacturer.
The recalled products are:
- Mr. Brown Mandheling Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
- Mr. Brown Arabica Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
- Mr. Brown Blue Mountain Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
- Mr. Brown Caramel Macchiato Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
- Mr. Brown French Vanilla Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
- Mr. Brown Mandheling Blend Instant Coffee (2-in-1
- Mr. Brown Milk Tea (3-in-1)
Melamine contamination of milk products, especially infant formula, has resulted in a major public health problem in China, where thousands of children have been diagnosed with kidney stones related to the contamination.
The FDA said that, as of yesterday, its "testing of milk-based products imported into the United States from China has not found melamine contamination."
Moreover, the agency said that it was not aware of any illness in the United States related to consumption of Mr. Brown products or to consumption of White Rabbit Creamy Candies, which the New Zealand Food Safety Agency recently said was contaminated with melamine.
As a result of the finding by the New Zealand agency, however, the FDA said it was recommending that "consumers not eat White Rabbit Creamy Candy and that retailers and foodservice operations remove the product from sale or service."
The FDA said it has been closely monitoring food products imported from China since early this month.
On Sept. 12, the FDA issued a Health Information Advisory to assure the American public that there was no known threat of contamination in infant formula manufactured by companies that have met the requirements to sell such products in the U.S.
The advisory warned, however, that infant formula manufactured in China might be available for purchase at Asian markets and could pose a risk to infants.
The FDA said it has contacted the companies who manufacture infant formula for distribution in the U.S. and been told that they are not importing formula or sourcing milk-based materials from China.
The agency said it was working with state and local health authorities to check Asian markets for Chinese-manufactured infant formula that may have been brought into the U.S.
The ongoing investigation has focused on areas with large Chinese communities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and New York.
"To date, investigators have visited more than 1,400 retail markets and have not found Chinese infant formula present on shelves in these markets," the FDA said.