Presence of melamine was confirmed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the Chinese chocolates that were seized a week ago. The chemical can cause kidney problems and, long-term exposure, may lead to cancer.

FDA commissioner, Dhanraj Khamatkar said: "It was a hectic week for all of us at the FDA headquarters. Since the chemical formula of melamine was not available with our laboratory, we had to take help from pharmaceutical giants such as Cipla and our food inspectors also took assistance from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Powai."

The seized brands are Ginnon Frisky, Ginnou Chocher and Tasty Choco. Khamatkar has appealed to the public to avoid eating them. He added that we have already found four godowns in Kalher in Bhivandi. Once we move court and get orders, the entire stock will be seized and destroyed. We will also prosecute the importers.

Suhas Chaudhari, joint commissioner FDA said that we have done a series of tests on the samples. There are at least 60 more samples under the FDA scanner. The melamine contents that we found in some of the samples vary from 1.85 mg per kg up to 676.3 mg per kg.
FDA officials said that though all the imported Chinese chocolates come to Mumbai Port Trust and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, the dealers who import it are mainly from Delhi and UP.

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