Taipei, Oct 29 - Taiwan has banned protein powder from China after tests found contamination, adding to a list of Chinese products that the island has halted amid a tainted milk powder scandal, local media said on Wednesday.
The Taiwan Department of Health asked importers to recall and quit shipping protein powder, 393 tonnes of which had come from China this year to date, after tests turned up melamine in nearly half random samples, media and health authorities said.
"Our department has demanded that importers immediately recall this product and asked all local health bureaux to seal the imports for safekeeping," the department said in a statement.
Protein powder, a dietary supplement, is the latest China food import to be banned in Taiwan since last month. Dairy products, ammonium bicarbonate and a host of packaged food items have also been halted due to melamine fears.
In China, at least four children have died and tens of thousands fallen ill with kidney stones amid the melamine scandal, the latest in a series of health scares to sully the "made in China" label.
Chinese-made products have been recalled in countries throughout the world due to melamine contamination fears. The compound is often added to cheat nutrition tests.
China has claimed sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. Beijing has vowed to bring the island back under mainland rule, by force if necessary.