Taipei - Taiwan on Thursday ordered six brands of Nestle milk powder taken from shelves after finding tiny doses of melamine in the products which were produced in China. The Department of Health (DOH) issued the order after tests showed that the six products - five using the brand-name KLIM (the reverse of MILK) and one called NESLAC - contained 0.2-0.8 parts per million (ppm) of melamine.
Nestle is headquartered in Switzerland, but the six kinds of products were produced in China's Heilongjiang Province between March 2007 and June 2008.
DOH Director Yeh Chin-chuan said that although the six Nestle products' melamine content fall within Taiwan's safety standard - 2.5 ppm - DOH still ordered their removal from shelves as a temporary and cautious measure.
"We have invited experts from the World Health Organization, the United States, the European Union, Japan and New Zealand to meet in Taipei to discuss food safety measures so that Taiwan can link up with the world," he told reporters.
Taiwan shops and supermarkets stopped selling all Nestle milk powder - including the six brands which contain melamine - on Thursday and issued a recall of those already sold to consumers.
Nestle Taiwan Ltd said Thursday it would comply with Taiwan's temporary ban of the six Nestle milk powder products but hoped Taiwan can consult international standards.
"Product quality and safety are our top consideration. As requested by Taiwan authorities, we have removed from shelves certain products, but we hope Taiwan can link up with the world and adopt scientific test standards," the company said in a statement.
Nestle Taiwan said that while it has not artificially added melamine into products, tiny doses of melamine exists in all of the food chain and is basically harmless to human health.
"We would like to see Taiwan link up with the world, and we apologize to customers for temporarily suspending the sale of the six brands of milk powder products," it said.
Nestle sells a wide ranges of products in Taiwan, including milk powder, nutrition supplements, coffee and beverages, sauces, candies, chocolates and pet food.
Nestle's adult milk powder accounts for 40 per cent of Taiwan's adult milk power market while its baby milk power makes up 10 per cent of Taiwan's baby milk powder market.
