Health Highlights: Sept. 26, 2008

ByABC News
September 26, 2008, 1:56 PM

Sept. 27 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

Chinese-Made Instant Coffee, Tea Products Recalled in U.S.

Seven "Mr. Brown"-brand instant coffee and tea products, produced in China, are being recalled because they may be contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday.

The FDA also said consumers shouldn't eat Chinese-made White Rabbit Creamy Candy, which New Zealand authorities have found contains high levels of melamine, the Bloomberg news service reported.

Melamine, used to make plastics, is at the center of a scandal in China involving contaminated baby-formula products. At least four Chinese infants have died, and tens of thousands more have been sickened from ingesting the milk-based products, which it's believed were deliberately contaminated to mask that they had been watered down.

According to a statement posted on the FDA Web site, the recalled adult coffee products, made by China's Shandong Duqing Inc., 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 Mandhling Blend instant Coffee (2-in-1)
  • Mr. Brown Milk Tea (3-in-1)

No illnesses related to the candy, coffee, or tea products have been reported in the United States, Bloomberg cited the FDA as saying.

In related news, the government of Hong Kong said Friday it had detected traces of melamine in baby foods imported from China, according to the Associated Press. Melamine has been detected in products from 22 Chinese dairy firms, the wire service said.

The World Health Organization and UNICEF have issued a joint statement condemning baby-food makers that deliberately contaminate their products.

"Whilst any attempt to deceive the public in the area of food production and marketing is unacceptable, deliberate contamination of foods intended for consumption by vulnerable infants and young children is particularly deplorable," the statement read.