Posted Tuesday, October 7, 2008 --- 4:25 p.m.

From the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection:

MADISON – Wisconsin food safety officials are cautioning consumers that candy potentially contaminated with melamine has been found on grocery store shelves in at least three communities.

White Rabbit candy, recalled by a distributor earlier this month, has since been found in stores in Eau Claire, Sheboygan and Wausau, as well as in a Wisconsin grocery distribution center. It has been found in grocery stores as well as Asian specialty markets. It may also have been sold in stores in other locations prior to the recall, so consumers may have it in their homes.

No illnesses associated with this product have been reported in Wisconsin or elsewhere in the United States.

The candy is on a growing list of products imported from China that may contain melamine, a white powdery industrial chemical that has been blended into dry dairy products in China. These products in turn were used as ingredients in other foods.

White Rabbit comes in a variety of flavors. The creamy candy is sold in 8- and 16-ounce bags. Red bean, coffee, corn, lychee, mango, strawberry, and assortments are sold in 7-ounce bags. All have a design of a white rabbit on the front.

Consumers who have purchased White Rabbit candy should either return it to the store where they bought it for a full refund, or throw it in their trash. If they have questions, they can call QFCO Inc., the Burlingame, CA, company that imported and distributed the candy, at 650-697-6633.

QFCO recalled the candy Sept. 26. Wisconsin was not included on the publicized list of states that received the products.

Inspectors from the Food Safety Division of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and its partner local health departments are continuing to check for White Rabbit candy.

Another recalled product, Mr. Brown powdered coffee mixes, has not been found in Wisconsin to date.

For more information about the melamine contamination situation, visit the FDA website at www.fda.gov.