Nestlé has been ordered to take two of its milk powder products off the shelves in Taiwan over a dispute relating to the levels of melamine they contain.
The firm said the products were safe and that “minute traces exist in the natural food cycle.” The Taiwan authorities didn’t appear to be insinuating that the products were dangerous but said the levels were higher than the laws there permit. Though the Taiwanese Department of Health said the levels were “very minimal” they said melamine in food products should be “undetected”.
Nestlé has called for the country to introduce specific regulation on what levels are acceptable.
The products were made in China and the development comes after Cadbury carried out a product recall in Hong Kong this week due to potentially high levels of the same chemical. Those products have since been declared safe.
Melamine is thought to cause potentially fatal kidney stone if consumed with other chemicals in large doses.