Edna has continued advertisements despite the judicial inquiry

The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) said the investigations carried out in Singapore have confirmed the presence of the toxic chemical in Edna productions.

The court has earlier issued an interim order against the production and distribution of the popular confectionary products with Edna brand name.

On Tuesday, Colombo Additional magistrate Manjula Thilakaratne, after investigating the report told the open court that it is ironic that Edna company earlier produced a report that said no melamine was found in the chocolates.

He strongly criticised the company for carrying out newspaper advertisements before the conclusion of the judicial inquiry.

Dogs killed in China

The CAA was ordered by the court to inform the public of the toxic chemical found in the chocolates.

The ruling is to be announced on 24 October.

In China, four children have died and over 50,000 were admitted to hospital after consuming products contaminated with melamine.

One thousand five hundred dogs at a breeding centre in China have died after eating feed tainted with the chemical melamine.

Correspondents say its detection in animal feed has raised questions in China about how far the contamination extends.