MANILA, Philippines—Two more products of the popular biscuit brand Lotte were found to contain the industrial chemical melamine, the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) announced Wednesday.

Lotte B+W Koala Biscuit and Lotte Chocolate Snack Koala Biscuit have tested positive for melamine and were automatically banned from the market.

Last week, the BFAD found Lotte Strawberry Snack Koala Biscuit to be tainted with melamine. Lotte is a South Korean company with headquarters in Japan.

BFAD Director Leticia Gutierrez said the three contaminated Lotte products were made in China.

The food safety agency has been testing China-made dairy products after at least four children have died and some 54,000 others fell ill from drinking melamine-tainted formula milk. Melamine is normally used to make plastics.

In one of China’s worst product recall scandals, countries from Asia to Europe have decided to suspend imports of Chinese milk products or to withdraw them from the market.

Three other China-made milk products were earlier found to contain high levels of melamine and were banned from the market: Jolly Cow Slender High Calcium Low Fat Milk (1 liter), Greenfood Yili Fresh Milk and Mengniu Drink.

22 products cleared

The BFAD Wednesday declared 22 more dairy products free of melamine, bringing the total to 166.

They are Angels First Love Barquillos Fresh Milk Wafer Sticks, Barbecue Candy (MM), Darrys Milk Choco Candy, Golden Fuji Crisp Tomato Flavor Cracker, Golden Fuji Vegetable Flavor Cracker, Houshuang Winter Mint Candy (MM).

KZ Gundam Long Candy, Lipton Milk Tea (Original Flavor)—product of Indonesia, Lipton Milk Tea (Vanilla Flavor)—product of Indonesia, Nice Choice Pineapple Cake, OO Chocolate Bean Candy, Sandwich Biscuits (green wrapper, in Chinese characters), Sandwich Biscuits (purple wrapper, in Chinese characters), Sandwich Biscuits (yellow wrapper, in Chinese characters).

Sour Lollipop 2 in 1 (strawberry, orange, pineapple), Sweet Dart 8.8 Butter Bali Candy, The New Zoland Company Omilk Bonbon Yogurt Milk Soft Drops (grape flavor), W.L. Sweet Dart Pines Milk Candy.

W.L. Sweet Dart Royal Orange Candy, W.L. Yaahoo Cheese Biscuit, Zhongshan Meihua Galletas de Chocola Te Butter with Filling Cake and Zhongshan Meihua Good Taste Sweet-Smelling, and Crisp Biscuits (Nutrition Health Foods).

Tea made in Indonesia

Gutierrez said her bureau included the two Indonesia-made tea products in its tests because samples had been submitted to the agency.

The BFAD has also cleared 18 canned meat products, including two locally manufactured products, of melamine contamination.

Gutierrez said the agency would likely finish testing the last batch of milk and milk-related products within the week.

Afterward, she said the agency would validate the findings made by the privately owned Qualibet Testing Center.

Qualibet has said its independent tests found melamine in a luncheon meat product and in a corned beef product.

It has also claimed that its tests showed that two milk candies, a chocolate brand, a milk powder for pregnant women and a repackaged coffee creamer used in restaurants were contaminated.

“We’re concentrating on milk and milk-related products. We want to deal with the matter (of Qualibet’s findings) separately,” Gutierrez said Wednesday.

Imported ham

With the approaching Christmas season, the Bureau of Customs Wednesday said it would be scrutinizing imported ham and other meat products.

Ferdinand Tuason, the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service chief, told reporters that his office had decided to examine all products in refrigerated containers.

After coming under fire for the entry of melamine-tainted milk, chocolates and other products, the customs bureau has intensified its monitoring of other imported items such as canned goods, Christmas lights and toys suspected to contain chemicals hazardous to health. With reports from Jerome Aning and Agence France-Presse