BY GERARD NAVAL

A THIRD China-made milk product tested positive for melamine, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said yesterday.

The one-liter JollyCow Slender High Calcium Low Fat Milk (more Calcium & Vitamin D) bears the label "Product of the People’s Republic of China" and is imported by Fly Ace Corp.

Duque said the product is covered by the ban imposed on September 23 by the government on China-made milk products.

The Bureau of Food and Drugs cleared 21 other products.

About 100 more products are undergoing tests. A third batch of test results might be out tomorrow, said BFAD director Leticia Gutierrez.

Ma. Lourdes Santiago, officer in charge of the laboratory testing unit of the Bureau of Food and Drugs, said the JollyCow Slender High Calcium Low Fat Milk was found to have 4 parts per million melamine content, which is considered "high."

"In the first place, it is not permitted to be a food additive," she said. Melamine is an industrial chemical widely used in the manufacture of plastics.

Melamine-contaminated milk has downed some 54,000 persons in China.

The first two products found by BFAD to contain melamine were Greenfood Yili Fresh Milk and Mengniu Drink.

Duque said authorities are determining whether the products tested positive for melamine got into the country before or after the government imposed the ban two weeks ago.

"If it came after the ban, then we will file the appropriate cases against the distributor," he said.

The 21 products cleared by BFAD were Anmum Materna Milk Powder (Chocolate Flavor), 400g; Bear Brand Choco, 300g; Bear Brand Sterilized Milk, 200ml; Cadbury Choclairs; Carnation Calcium Plus Non-Fat Milk Powder; Klim Instant Full Cream Milk Powder; Milo Chocolate Bar, 40g; Monmilk Breakfast Milk Walnut Milk Beverage; Monmilk High Calcium Low Fat Milk, 1 Liter; and Monmilk Milk Deluxe Pure Milk;

Nestle Chocolate-Flavored Ice Cream; Nestle Dairy Farm Pure Milk; Nestle Fresh Milk, 1 Liter; Nestle KitKat; Nestle Milk Chocolate, 40g; Neslte Pops Ice Cream; Nestle Vanilla-Flavored Ice Cream; Nestogen 1 DHA (now Nestogen One); Nesvita Cereal Milk Drink; Nutri-Express Milk Drink (Green Apple Flavor), 500ml; and Prime Roast Instant Nutritious Cereal, 28g.

The health department has so far released results of tests on 52 products.

"Three out of 52 products… I would say that is pretty low," Duque said. "We can say okay naman ang condition dito sa atin. Wala pa rin naming reported na matanda o bata na nagkakasakit dahil sa melamine. But of course, we will remain vigilant."

Duque said products declared by the Chinese government as positive for melamine would be banned.

"If the exporting countries, themselves, have already tested them positive for melamine, then they shouldn’t be exported anymore," Duque said.

In a communiqué, the Philippine Embassy in Beijing identified 22 brand names of infant milk products, including those manufactured by Sanlu Group Co., Mengniu Dairy and Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co.

These are Sanlu (by Shijiazhuang Sanlu Group Co.), Panda Baby (Shanghai Panda Dairy Co. Ltd.), Syrutra (Syrutra International Inc.), Gucheng (Shanxi Gucheng Dairy Co. Ltd.), Hero (Jiangxi Bright & Hero Dairy Co.), Huimin/HMDP (Baoji Huimin Milk Co. Ltd.), Mengniu (Mengniu Dairy), Kocci (Duojiaduo Dairy Industry {Tianjin} Co. Ltd.), Yashili (Guangdong Yashili Group Co. Ltd.), Nanshan Beiyi (Hunan Peiyi Dairy Dairy Co.), and Heilongjiang (Qining Dairy Co.);

Yashili (Shanxi Yashili Dairy Co.), Jinbishi (Shenzan Jinbishi Milk Co. Ltd.), Scient (Guangzhou Shien Dairy Co.), Jinding (Guangzhou Jinding Dairy Co.), Yili (Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co.), Ausmeadow (Ausmeadow Nurtiment Co. Ltd.), Suncare (Aikeding) (Qingdao Suncare Nutritional Technology Co. Ltd.), Yubao (Xi’an Baiyue Dairy Co. Ltd.), Leilei (Yantai Leilei Dairy Products Co. Ltd.), Baoanli (Shanghai Bao’anli Dairy Co. Ltd.), and Hikid (Fuding Chenguan Dairy Co. Ltd.).

Gutierrez said BFAD is conducting tests also on products submitted by the private firm Qualibet Testing Services Inc., which has released results of tests it conducted on 14 products.

Last week, Qualibet analysts were quoted as saying eight out of the 14 products tested were found positive for melamine, including luncheon meat and corned beef.