The order expands the coverage of a similar order on 10 Chinese companies last month and now include all related products coming from that country.
FDA said importers must prove at their own cost that the imported products do not contain melamine, which causes kidney stones, before these are released to them from U.S. ports of entry.
Most of the products, including cookies, cakes and candies, are intended for sale to ethnic communities and not to the general consumer population in the U.S. The order also covers pet foods and bulk protein products as such have been recalled last year for being contaminated with melamine.
Federal authorities have found melamine-contaminated candies and drinks being sold at Asian groceries in many states, including California and Connecticut. This prompted the FDA to issue the order even if the U.S. does not import milk from China.
Melamine-contaminated milk has killed four children in China and caused thousands more to develop kidney stones. Unscrupulous milk manufacturers apparently used melamine in milk powder to make them appear to have higher protein content as the chemical for making plastics looks like milk powder.
