China's milk scandal has Seattle-area stores pulling candy, drinks

As the scope of China's tainted-milk scandal widened this week, Asian grocery stores in Seattle's International District and on the Eastside began pulling cases of candies and drinks off their shelves as a precaution against selling products contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine.

Without clear orders from federal authorities, area grocers were left largely to fend for themselves in deciding which products might pose a risk to customers. The chemical melamine was found in numerous Chinese exports — from candy to yogurt to rice balls — and traced to nearly two dozen dairies. In China, the contaminated milk has sickened more than 50,000 people and caused the deaths of four infants.

Uwajimaya, which operates stores in Seattle and Bellevue, relied on news reports from Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and China to determine which products to pull, said Jason Nakaya, the chain's central grocery manager.

The latest products to come off the shelves are the popular White Rabbit Creamy Candies and a host of beverages that tested positive for melamine in other countries.

"We pulled White Rabbit candies, all powdered coffees and teas, and several drinks," Nakaya said. "We're being significantly more proactive than our suppliers are. Our name is more at risk than our suppliers', and, more important, we don't want anyone to get hurt."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration added the White Rabbit candies to its list of products being inspected at ports of entry after tests by other governments showed high levels of melamine. But so far the agency said its checks have not turned up any goods from China that contained the chemical.

Nonetheless, local markets are removing popular candies and other products as employees learn about the possible contamination from their customers and the media.

A quick phone survey Wednesday of five merchants in Seattle's International District showed varying responses to the scandal.

Ping Niu of Hoven Foods Co. said she removed White Rabbit candies from the shelves this week after reading newspaper reports about high levels of melamine in the candy, while an employee at Dong Hing Market said she removed the candy after a customer told her the product was made with tainted milk.

Mui Cun, a cashier at Rising Produce, said a representative from the FDA came to the store last week to obtain samples of powdered creamer and condensed milk for testing. She said the store hasn't carried the White Rabbit candies for about three months, and there were no other products she knew of that had been pulled.

Suppliers trying to cut costs are believed to have added melamine to watered-down milk as a thickener. More than a dozen countries have banned or recalled Chinese products containing milk.

Health experts say ingesting a small amount of the chemical poses no danger, but melamine can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure. Infants are particularly vulnerable.

Tests done by authorities in New Zealand and Hong Kong found high levels of the chemical in the White Rabbit candies.

The dairy at the center of the scandal is Sanlu Group Co. An investigation into the contamination found that Sanlu received complaints about its infant formula as early as December 2007 and covered up the problem for months, state media reported earlier this week.

The Chinese government has taken control of Sanlu, which is 43 percent owned by New Zealand's Fonterra Cooperative, and shut down its operations.

Material from The Associated Press is included in this report. Susan Kelleher: skelleher@seattletimes.com; 206-464-2508.