The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a recall of three cocoa products as they may contain melamine, a toxic industrial chemical. Dorsey Marketing Inc. (DMI) of Ville St. Laurent, Quebec, Canada has voluntarily recalled three of its G&J Gourmet Market Cocoa Products sold at Big Lots and Shopko stores nationwide.

The items being recalled are the G&J Hot Cocoa Stuffer Item 120144 (UPC 061361201444), sold in small green and blue boxes with a backer card, candy cane, and marshmallows. The second item is the G&J His and Hers Hot Cocoa Set Item 120129 (UPC 489702201296) which was sold with two ceramic mugs in a brown box.

The G&J Cocoa item 120126, sold in two flavors: French Vanilla Cocoa (UPC 061361201260, sold in a small green bag with a whisk attached) and Double Chocolate Cocoa (UPC 061361201260, sold in a small pink bag with a whisk attached) is the third item being recalled.

"No injuries have been reported and only a few samples, have, in fact been found to include melamine," said the DMI in a news release posted on the FDA's web site.

The toxic chemical Melamine is added to milk, wheat and other products to make them appear to contain more protein. Melamine has been found in dozens of products exported from China resulting in numerous international recalls in a variety of products including milk teas and coffees, yogurts, candies, cookies, biscuits, cheese, eggs, crackers, pet food and toothpaste.

Pigs and chickens who were fed melamine tainted feed resulted in the eggs becoming tainted with melamine while crops grown on land with melamine in the fertilizer resulted in melamine tainted food crops.

Melamine was responsible for poisoning and killing children in China when it was put into baby formula, and it also sickened and killed people when it was put into toothpaste from China. Pet food ingredients from China with melamine sickened and killed many dogs in the U. S. in 2007 and 2008.

Customers who may have any of the recalled products can return them at the store they purchased them for a refund.