THE Bureau of Food and Drugs yesterday said it would not issue an apology to companies whose products were included for testing for possible melamine-contamination.

The BFAD said the companies should understand that the agency was just doing its job to ensure public safety.

The BFAD late Friday issued an initial list of 54 products being tested for melamine contamination which has downed some 54,000 people in China.

On Saturday, BFAD said it was removing four in the list — Anchor Lite Milk, Anlene Milk Low Fat, Anmum Materna and Anmum Materna Chocolate, following receipt of letters from the manufacturers that their products and raw materials did not come from China but from New Zealand.

Leticia Gutierrez, BFAD director, said BFAD was acting in accordance with the principle of the Department of Health of "erring on the side of safety."

Gutierrez said it remains uncertain on when the agency will be able to finish the tests.

The health department, amid contradicting explanations from its officials, clarified that products that are covered by the ban are only those that carry labels "Made in China."

Health Secretary Francisco Duque said products that are in the BFAD-issued list are not automatically banned from retail stores and could still be sold to consumers if they are not made from China.

Last week, the DOH and BFAD issued a temporary total ban on all China-made milk products and milk by-products and advised the public to refrain from buying them.

The government also ordered importers to stop bringing into the country, and retailers from selling milk products and milk by-products, until BFAD declares these fit for human consumption.

Bakeries belonging to the Philippine Baking Industry Group (PhilBaking) said they do not use flour and milk ingredients from China.

Simplicio Umali Jr, president of PhilBaking, said their members source milk ingredients from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark and Holland.

Flour, the main ingredient in making bakery products, is being sourced by the member-companies from local flour millers who in turn source their wheat mainly from the US. Occasionally, some members buy limited quantities of Australian flour.

PhilBaking represents the major players in the bread industry, accounting for 70 percent of the branded bread market sold in supermarkets and groceries.