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TOKYO: A leading Japanese food company is recalling thousands of buns fearing contamination by tainted Chinese milk, it said on Saturday.
Marudai Food Co. said it issued the recall as a precaution because the buns contained milk from Chinese dairy Yili, which is involved in a scandal which has left four babies dead and thousands ill.
"We don't know if the products are contaminated for sure, and even if they are, we believe the chemical contained must be minimal to affect consumers' health," said Marudai spokesman Toru Miyachi.
"But we decided to recall for ethical reasons."
Industrial chemical melamine, normally used to make plastics, was first discovered in powdered baby formula and then identified in liquid milk, yoghurt and ice-cream produced by major Chinese dairies.
Stores in mainland China and Hong Kong this week pulled hundreds of products from their shelves as the full extent of the contamination began to emerge, and Singapore and Malaysia suspended imports of Chinese milk and milk products.
Myanmar on Saturday also said it would seize and destroy imports of Chinese baby formula.
Marudai said it was recalling five types of meat and cream-filled buns in the latest Chinese-origin food scare to hit Japan.
On Friday, two employees of a Japanese confectionery company fell ill and complained of numbness in their limbs after eating Chinese-made bean paste.
Ten people suffered pesticide poisoning in December and January after eating dumplings imported from China, while thousands more complained about feeling ill. - AFP/ms
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