CHINESE SWEETS AXED IN MILK SCARE

Tesco said it had no evidence that the White Rabbit products were tainted, but they were being removed as a precaution.

The sweets are sold in a small number of British stores as part of the supermarket's ethnic range.

China promised strong action to deal with the widening scandal today as US and European consumer safety officials urged it to enforce product safety standards.

More countries boosted testing of Chinese food imports as fears grew that compromised ingredients may have contaminated other Chinese-made products.

Baby milk powder adulterated with the industrial chemical melamine has made about 54,000 Chinese babies ill and is blamed for the deaths of four.

A US official said China's troubles with contaminated milk highlighted the need for better enforcement of product safety standards in manufacturing.

"The melamine situation just underscores the message that we are trying to deliver, and that is you have to know what's coming into your factory and what's going out of your factory," said Nancy Nord, acting head of the US Consumer Products Safety Commission.

Melamine, used to make plastics and fertiliser, has been found in infant formula and other milk products from 22 Chinese dairy companies. Suppliers trying to cut costs are believed to have added it to watered-down milk because its high nitrogen content masks the resulting protein deficiency.

The chemical has caused kidney stones in children and can lead to kidney failure.