A boy waits for his health checkup on Wednesday at a clinic in Hong Kong. He, like many other children, had consumed tainted-milk products from the mainland. AP

The supply of milk powder to Hong Kong looks to double next week, the government's melamine task force said after its first meeting on Friday.

Secretary for Food and Health York Chow, chairman of the task force, said that as mainland parents may keep buying milk powder in Hong Kong, the local suppliers are preparing to double their supplies next week.

Chow stressed that milk powder available in Hong Kong is safe.

The task force, comprising government representatives, medical and scientific experts, will also closely monitor the trend of children from the mainland with rights of abode in Hong Kong, as they may travel to the city for kidney exams during the October golden week holiday.

But Chow said that, so far, they do not know the number of mainland children with rights of abode in Hong Kong who may come to the city for kidney check during the week-long National Day holiday.

The task force has asked the Immigration Department to check the age of cross-border children, he said.

Chow said that from next week the Centre for Food Safety will keep the public informed of health information and report test results every day.

If a product is found tainted with melamine outside Hong Kong, he said the city will re-check the product.

Chow assured the public that if a product contains less than 1 parts per million of melamine, it is considered safe for consumption.

Meanwhile, the Centre for Food Safety announced Friday that two out of 112 milk products tested have melamine content exceeding the tolerable level.

The Heinz DHA-AA Vegetable Formula Cereal was tested to have 1.6 parts per million of melamine.

And Silang House of Steamed Potato Wasabi was found to have 18 parts per million of melamine.

Food for infants should not contain more than 1 parts per million of melamine under the amended regulation effective Tuesday. Melamine concentration in biscuits should not be higher than 2.5 parts per million.

A spokesman for the center said the samples were collected after Tuesday, and they will proceed to prosecution if there is sufficient evidence.

In another development, after melamine was found in Lotte chocolate biscuits in Macao on Thursday, the biscuit's importer, A.S.A Pacific (HK) Ltd, announced it would recall the products and allow customers to get refunds.

The company's spokesman said customers can bring the products to retail outlets and get refunds. They expected to recall 10,000 products.

Wellcome and ParknShop supermarkets had removed the biscuits from shelves as of Thursday night.

The Centre for Health Protection said it hadn't received any new reports from the Hospital Authority or private doctors regarding renal problems related to the consumption of melamine-tainted milk products.

(HK Edition 09/27/2008 page1)