New Delhi - Burma's Food and Drug Authority (FDA), under the Ministry of Health, said it is continuing laboratory tests of food items, including popular instant coffee mixes, for the presence of an industrial chemical, having previously declared 16 milk powder brands circulating markets in early October to be contaminated.

"We are still testing all food items, including instant coffees, and will continue periodically stating our findings," Dr. Kyaw Linn, General Director of the FDA, told Mizzima on Thursday.

However, in Rangoon, rumors have spread among consumers that companies are retracting instant coffee packets from retail stores as they have been found to contain the chemical melamine.

An official at the famous Mikko Coffee-mix company said, "We also heard the rumors that the chemical melamine had been found in packets of coffee-mix. And customers are calling often call to inquire about it."

The official, however, said his company's products have been declared melamine free by the FDA and that they are busy trying to promote sales after receiving FDA approval.

The official at Mikko Coffee-mix added that they have not retracted any of their products and that strong sales continue.

Similarly, another popular instant coffee-mix company, Super, said it has not retracted any of their products, though rumors suggest that Super Coffee-mix is the brand found to contain the chemical melamine.

Meanwhile, Dr. Kyaw Linn of the FDA said besides continued testing the FDA has issued orders to its branches across the country to seize milk brands found to contain the industrial chemical melamine if found still circulating markets.

"We have asked our branches in the townships to seize the milk powders and to burn them," he said, though refusing to provide details of the milk powders being seized.

An official in Rangoon's Municipal Corporation also said they intend to seize any milk-brands declared contaminated if found being sold in markets.

Yet, despite the FDA's claim that its branch offices are seizing milk-brands that are declared contaminated, retail shops in one of Rangoon's largest markets, Mingalar Market, said there are no authorities coming to seize instant coffee packets or milk powders.

Earlier in October, authorities said they had identified 16 milk powder brands which were contaminated with melamine, and issued a warning to stores not to sell the products as well as to consumers to cease using the powders.