Another sample of the White Rabbit Creamy Candy has tested positive for melamine, the Centre for Food Safety announced yesterday.

The candy, from Shanghai, was found to contain 16 parts per million of melamine, far exceeding the concentration of 4.6 parts per million in the other tainted sample of the candy announced by the center on Tuesday.

The melamine levels in both samples exceeded the maximum concentration limit of 2.5 parts per million mandated by the new Harmful Substances in Food (Amendment) Regulation 2008.

But a spokesman for the center said no prosecution would be taken, as the samples were collected before the amendment regulation took effect.

The center has asked retailers and importers to recall the products.

The spokesman added that a 3-year-old child who eats 40 pieces of the candy with 16 parts per million of melamine will exceed tolerable daily intake levels.

Earlier, authorities in Singapore also found the candy to be tainted with the chemical.

The center released the test results of 67 samples yesterday. No other samples had been found to contain melamine.

Nephrology doctor Choi Kin expected that more food with milk ingredients will be found to contain melamine as tests continue.

"There are concerns that food manufacturers on the mainland have been using melamine for a long time," he said. "The chemical should not be tolerated in food."

Meanwhile, the Centre for Health Protection said it had not received any new reports from the Hospital Authority (HA) or private doctors of renal problems related to the consumption of melamine-tainted milk products.

As of yesterday, four children who consumed the tainted milk products had been diagnosed with renal stones in the territory. The 18 designated clinics of the HA had provided initial assessments to 2,379 visitors, and seven other assessment centers under the authority had treated 422.

The center's hotline (2125 1133) had received 3,561 enquiries from the public. Among them, 1,076 claimed that they or their children had consumed tainted milk products, and 312 said they had renal problems symptoms.

(HK Edition 09/25/2008 page1)