SINCE Tuesday, hygiene officers from the National Environment Agency (NEA) have been inspecting confectioneries, bakeries and other places that cook with milk to make sure employees are not using China-made dairy products.

The import and sale of such products was suspended last Friday when news broke that some local stocks of Chinese strawberry milk and frozen yogurt bars were contaminated with melamine.

The agency hopes to inspect all 2,100 bakeries, confectioneries, cake shops and drink stalls in Singapore, as well as 150 restaurants that make cakes and bread.

Officers are checking to ensure that companies are not using leftover stock from China. None of the 660 outlets inspected so far used Chinese milk, the agency said yesterday.

Besides liquid milk, milk powder and canned and evaporated milk, officers are also checking the origins of products such as Milo and milk chocolate chips.

If they find China-made dairy products, officers will send samples to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority for testing. Outlets would be asked to stop using the product and return it to the supplier.

Meanwhile, Mr Liow Kian Huat, chairman of the Singapore Bakery and Confectionery Trade Association, said the group's 100-plus members do not use milk from China and their stocks come from New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia.

'The NEA inspections will help ensure the quality of our products and give customers more confidence,' he said.