S. Korea finds melamine in Chinese jelly product

SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Yonhap) -- A harmful chemical has been detected in a Chinese jelly product used to make locally sold sweets, the government announced Wednesday.

The Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) said it found 18.1 parts per
million (ppm) of melamine in "Haspi," a semi-finished jelly product imported by a
local confectionery company from China's Hebeilangfang Aolifa Group.
The Chinese product was used in making three kinds of jelly foodstuffs sold in
South Korea, the agency said, adding that it has banned the distribution and sale
of the sweets and ordered a recall of those products with expiration dates
between Feb. 21 and Oct. 26, 2009.
The recalled products are "Kingguhas," "Jonghap King Jelly," and "White Kinghas."
Haspi was found to have used an inflating agent, ammonium bicarbonate, containing
melamine, according to the agency. The chemical was detected during a recent
inspection of all 27 locally sold products using ammonium bicarbonate from China.
Last week, the agency said it found 603 parts per million (ppm) of melamine in
one of the eight ammonium bicarbonate products it had examined so far. The
permissible level of melamine in food in the U.S. and the EU is 2.5 ppm.
Melamine is a nitrogen-based chemical that can pose serious health risks if taken
in large quantities. If added to food items the nitrogen can artificially
increase protein levels, translating into higher prices.
Chinese health officials have said the use of melamine in dairy products has
killed at least four infants and left 54,000 others ailing from kidney stones or
other illnesses.