Trish Pearce collects samples of baby food at a Wellington supermarket. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Milk and dairy products sold in Asian supermarkets are being tested for melamine by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority.
Food safety inspectors started taking random samples on Thursday night from Asian supermarkets, after initially focusing on infant formula, the authority's deputy chief executive, Sandra Daly, told the
Weekend Herald.
"We have primarily been testing infant formulas because they are at the high risk, but we are now looking to identify other dairy products which may also be affected.
She said New Zealand did not import infant formula directly from China, and only very small amounts of dairy products such as milk, milk powder and cheese from China, and the checks had been conducted as a precautionary measure.
"Last night our people have done a scan through Asian supermarkets taking samples they feel have a significant dairy component for testing," Ms Daly said.
In Hong Kong, food inspectors ordered a recall after melamine - a chemical found in the tainted infant formula in China which killed four babies and sickened more than 6000 others - was found in an ice cream bar made by Shanghai Yili AB Foods.
Its government has also issued a warning against Taiwan-produced drinks made with milk powder from the San Lu group.
Singapore has also recalled a China-made product, Yili's Natural Choice Yoghurt, after a sample was found to be tainted with melamine, and is testing 19 other Chinese dairy milk products, including Meiji and Rabbit milk candy, which are also sold in Asian supermarkets here.
However, Ms Daly said: "We have no reasons to recall any of the products we have tested so far."
However, Asian supermarket customers are not taking any chances.
A check with 10 customers at three Asian supermarkets in Auckland - Silverbell, Tofu shop and T-mart - found most are shunning milk and dairy products from China.
Tour guide Ji Liang, 37, said she had stopped buying her son the Chinese milk biscuits and drinks for his lunch box and would stick to New Zealand brands instead.
Housewife Jane Robinson, who said she was fond of "trying different Asian snacks" after having lived in Hong Kong, says she will be avoiding all dairy and milk products from China and Taiwan.
Of the 10, only one customer said she was not affected by news of China's tainted milk scandal.
A manager at T-mart in Newmarket said there were no plans to pull China or Taiwan-made dairy products from the shelves.
