White Rabbit candy was recalled yesterday by its California-based distributor because it might be contaminated, but the product had already been removed from most retailers' shelves in Hawai'i, the state Health Department said.

QFCO Inc. of Burlingame, Calif., issued the recall after it was determined that some White Rabbit candy is contaminated with melamine. The company advised consumers who have White Rabbit candy to return it to the place of purchase for a refund or simply throw it away.

That dovetailed with advice from the Hawai'i Department of Health and the federal Food and Drug Administration.

The FDA yesterday recommended "that consumers not eat White Rabbit Creamy Candy and that retailers and foodservice operations remove the product from sale or service."

Janice Okubo, spokeswoman for the state Health Department, said the major distributor of White Rabbit candy in Hawai'i had voluntarily pulled it from circulation as a precaution even before the recall. She also said numerous retail outlets, such as Longs, had pulled the candy from their shelves.

Jeff Cagaoan, assistant store manager of Don Quijote store in Waipahu, said its inventory had also been removed.

Prior to yesterday's recall, White Rabbit could still be found on the shelves of some smaller markets.

But as soon as the recall notice was issued, "we did notify all of the retailers to let them know they need to pull it from their shelves," Okubo said late yesterday afternoon.

"If anyone does see it (White Rabbit candy) still for sale, they should either let the retailer know or they can call our department and we can inform the retailer," she said.

The contaminant found in some White Rabbit candy is melamine, an industrial chemical that has found its way into China's milk supply. The chemical is believed to have been added by Chinese suppliers trying to cut costs because its nitrogen content can fool tests aimed at verifying protein levels in milk.

Okubo said the DOH has been trying to identify other potentially contaminated products that may contain milk additives from China.

"In anticipation of other products that may be identified with melamine, we do have food and drug inspectors that are out looking in specialty stores and other areas to take an assessment of any of those products that might contain milk products from China," Okubo said.

"We did do a sweep to look for the baby formula products, and could not find anything here in Hawai'i."

Melamine has been found in a growing list of contaminated food products that so far have killed four Chinese babies and sickened 54,000 children. Health experts say ingesting a small amount of melamine poses no danger, but in larger doses, the chemical — used to make plastics and fertilizer — can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure. Infants are particularly vulnerable.

Prior to yesterday's recall, Okubo said the state Health Department was waiting to hear from the FDA about test results the agency has conducted on White Rabbit candy, a popular brand of chewable confection made in China.

Yesterday's FDA statement did not mention the agency's own tests on the candy, but said earlier results by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority showed high levels of melamine contamination in candy there. The FDA also said it "is not aware of any illnesses in the United States stemming from the the consumption of ... White Rabbit" candy or any of a growing list of other products suspected of melamine contamination.

The FDA has yet to report finding melamine in products shipped to the United States.

White Rabbit candies have also been pulled from shelves around Asia and in Britain, The Associated Press reported.

Ge Junjie, a vice president of Bright Foods (Group) Co. Ltd., was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency in China that the company was waiting for test results from the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau.

"We decided to halt all sales of White Rabbit candy, although the test results have not yet come out," Ge said. Bright Foods' subsidiary Guangshengyuan produces White Rabbit.

The list of products caught in China's tainted milk scandal grew yesterday to include baby cereal in Hong Kong and snack foods in Japan, while Taiwan reported three children and a mother with kidney stones in the island's first cases possibly linked to the crisis.

The latest problematic foods snared in China's contaminated milk scandal were Heinz baby cereal and Silang House steamed potato wasabi crackers. The Hong Kong government said in a statement yesterday it found traces of melamine in the products, which were both made in mainland China. After the announcement, Pittsburgh, Pa.-based Heinz ordered a recall of the baby cereal as a precautionary measure.

Melamine-tainted products have turned up in an increasing number of Chinese-made exports abroad - from yogurt to rice balls.

The FDA alerted the public that seven Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea products are being recalled by the Taiwanese company King Car Food due to possible contamination with melamine. As with White Rabbit candy, the agency recommended that consumers refrain from using Mr. Brown products.