Colombo: A leading biscuit producing company in Sri Lanka has decided "to temporarily withdraw Munchee Lemon Puff biscuits from the market", a couple of days after the Switzerland Health Ministry claimed that it has traced melamine in it.

The Ceylon Biscuits Limited, which has been producing a variety of biscuits for the past 40 years and covering over 40 overseas markets including India, said in a news release that the temporary decision was taken as part of its "action to eliminate doubts regarding the product in the interest of consumers".

Claiming that it "does not use any milk powder or milk products sourced from China in the manufacture of any of their products", the company said that it uses milk ingredients only from Australia, Holland and Canada.

It said that the Munchee Lemon Puff is manufactured according to international standards.

Switzerland's Health Ministry Monday announced that it was halting sales of three Chinese-made food products which contained traces of melamine, but stressed there was no grave risk to public health.

"To-date, small traces of melamine were found in two types of biscuits and a brand of caramel sweets," it said in a statement, adding that there was "no reason to fear a danger to health in Switzerland".

In a separate statement, authorities in Geneva identified the three products as White Rabbit sweets from China, Milk Cookies S&P from Thailand, and Munchee Lemon Puff biscuits from Sri Lanka.

Sales of White Rabbit's milk-flavoured sweets were halted in China last week after they were found to contain melamine - an industrial chemical that was added to Chinese milk to make its protein content seem higher.

Source : IANS