TAIPEI, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Taiwan's health department said on Saturday it was banning Chinese-made ammonium bicarbonate, a rising agent used in baking, after it found melamine in the product.

The ban is the latest worldwide involving China-made products tainted with melamine, a plastic-making compound used to cheat quality tests.

At least four children have died and thousands of others admitted to hospitals in China due to milk powder laced with melamine, prompting Taiwan to ban dairy products from China and pull a series of items from supermarket shelves.

Taiwan's Department of Health said inspection of recently imported ammonium bicarbonate, also known as hartshorn or hornsalt and used in similar manner to baking soda, found concentrations of 70-300 parts per million (ppm) of melamine.

"The health department has decided that from Oct. 17 it will prohibit the import of Chinese-made ammonium bicarbonate," the department said on its website.

It said the product should also be removed from store shelves.

On Wednesday, Taiwan also halted the sale of frozen octopus products from China and a brand of imported crackers as a precautionary measure over melamine contamination fears.

Chinese-made products have been recalled in countries throughout the world due to melamine fears. (Reporting by Doug Young; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

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