Heinz recalls baby food in Hong Kong

The company, known for brands in the U.S. like its namesake ketchup and Ore-Ida potatoes, said the recall of DHA+AA vegetable formula baby cereal was a precaution and the amounts of melamine found in the food were small when compared with what has been found in milk in China. It said it was confident the food was safe to consume.

The company said in a statement the recall affected one batch of one variety, about 270 cases.

The food was made in China and intended for the Hong Kong market, Heinz said.

The recall came as the Hong Kong government announced it had found traces of melamine in the Heinz baby cereal and steamed potato wasabi crackers produced by Silang House in China.

The government urged the manufacturers to stop selling the products in Hong Kong.

The food safety crisis in China started with melamine-tainted infant formula. It has since spread to other milk products, triggering recalls and bans on Chinese food goods around the world and causing several deaths and sickening thousands of children.

Heinz said it determined all its other products were safe after extensive testing. The company said the variety being recalled is less than 1 percent of its baby food sales in Hong Kong.

Company spokesman Michael Mullen said melamine is found throughout the food chain in minute traces and the amount in question in the Heinz product was 25 times lower than internationally accepted levels.

The product's bar code is 6901642888480.