17 Oct, 2008 - Melamine has been discovered in dried egg powder imported from China into Japan, as the after-effects of the contamination scandal that began in September continue to be felt across the globe.
Mitsui & Co, a leading Japanese trading firm, said the company had issued a recall after detecting a small amount of the industrial chemical in a sample of egg powder – which is typically used as flavouring in pasta, confectionery and pastries.
Mitsui confirmed 20 tonnes of the powder had been imported from its Chinese suppliers in September. The majority was sold to mayonnaise producer QP Egg Corp. The company estimated 0.4 tones of the egg powder have already been consumed but that no health problems had yet been reported.
All egg powder not used has been recalled to be either destroyed or returned to the manufacturers in China, the Japanese company said.
The news came as Japanese health authorities announced melamine had been detected in frozen fried chicken from China. The discovery was made prior to the product’s distribution on the market, said an official.
Japanese police also are investigating Chinese-made frozen green beans that were found this week to have thousands of times the legal limit of pesticides.