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A Shanghai food maker denied yesterday that its most famous brand, White Rabbit candy, contained formaldehyde after the Philippines banned some  products from the mainland which it claimed tested positive for the chemical.

Hong Kong's two major supermarket chains, ParknShop and Wellcome, also suspended sales of the candy yesterday as did a number of other stores.

Food giant Guang Sheng Yuan (Group)  blasted the Philippines government's Bureau of Food and Drugs  and raised the possibility that the candy tested might have been fake. The company said its own testing had shown no evidence its sweets contained formaldehyde.

'In the process of production, there are no preservatives added to White Rabbit Creamy Candy.

'For the Philippine Food and Drugs Bureau to announce the test report without confirmation from the producing enterprise is extremely irresponsible,' the company  said in a statement.

Formaldehyde  is used as a preservative, including for embalming.

If the claims prove true, it would be an embarrassment for the mainland, which is already struggling to prove its exports are safe after a string of cases involving allegedly tainted products. White Rabbit candy, with its red-and-blue packaging and a leaping cartoon rabbit, has been beloved by Chinese children for nearly 50 years. The company claims the candy is sold in the US through Wal-Mart and Kmart stores.

The Philippine food and drug agency ordered suppliers to pull from the shelves products made by four mainland companies, including candy from Fujian province-based Romanticfish Food Industry  and biscuits made by Dongguan Bairong Foodstuff and Dongguan Yongkang Food, both in Guangdong province.

In a statement, the agency said the products would be withdrawn until there was evidence that they were 'fit for human consumption'.

Guang Sheng Yuan said it had lodged a request through its Philippine sales agent for the agency to supply the report and the products tested, but had yet to receive a reply.

Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety said it had contacted mainland authorities to learn more about the incident. 'Formaldehyde might be naturally present in food,' it said.

Several Shanghai consumers dismissed worries over White Rabbit. Shanghai office worker Lillian Yan, who ate the candy as a child, said: 'I don't believe it. I like this candy.'



Company defends candy Manila banned