The Food Standards Agency has today written to all UK ports and local authorities after the European Commission refined the measures it has put in place to test for melamine in food products from China.

Melamine is an industrial chemical that should not be present in food. Milk products containing melamine have been at the centre of a major food incident in China.

The European Commission had originally said that any composite products, like biscuits and cakes, from China containing more that 15% milk products (or where the content could not be established) should be tested for melamine. However, some Member States had been reporting difficulties in establishing the exact milk product content of a number of foods targeted by the original decision.

The new requirements that came into effect today now require the testing of all composite foods from China containing milk products. As before, products found to contain more than 2.5mg/kg melamine have to be withdrawn from the market and destroyed.

UK ports and local authorities are being advised to start implementing this new testing regime. The revised measures continue the prohibition of imports into the European Community of infant formula from China and other composite products containing milk or milk products intended for infant and young children’s nutrition.

Feed and food business operators also need to provide prior notification, to the relevant port, of consignments from China of products covered by the Commission Decision.


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What is melamine? Melamine has been the content of every news that i saw on TV. This news break out is really helpful for all of us. Imagine how dangerous this substance to us, on our body... And this substance is actually present on our foods, mostly milk. Milk that most children drinks, especially the babies, look at those victims that died, those are just babies.... Whose next if this hasn't been broadcasted? What do you know about melamine? Have some information...

Melamine FACTS:

Melamine, traditionally used to create durable dishware and clear resins, has been used in recent years to produce consumable products. The results have been damaging. In September 2008, nearly 53,000 infants in China fell ill after the compound was found in baby formula and milk products.

Investigators in 2007 detected the presence of melamine in pet food sold in North America after owners began complaining their pets were falling ill and unexpectedly dying. Pet food manufacturers later said wheat gluten and rice protein imported from China were spiked with melamine. In the same year, Canadian and U.S. health officials began testing fish samples after finding farmed fish had been given feed bulked up with melamine.

In response to the current tainted milk outbreak, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has implemented a border watch on milk products.

Here we examine the applications and misuses of the compound:

Chinese food safety officers inspect milk at a supermarket after melamine was found in milk products sold in the country. (Associated Press)

What is melamine?

Melamine is a white crystalline substance, sometimes referred to as cyanuramide, consisting of carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen. The compound was synthesized in the 1830s by German scientist Justus von Liebig and later used industrially in the manufacture of plastics and laminates.

What products are made with melamine?

Melamine is prized for its durability and during the 1950s was used to produce a wide range of brightly coloured dishware, bowls and containers. The compound is still used to create utensils and dishware and is used to create a resin coating for wood and textiles. Some flame-retardants, fertilizers and dyes also contain melamine.

(when i research for images on melanine, i was surprised that results was more on textiles, plates, containers.... could you really imagine how dangerous this substance is to our bodies??? tsk tsk)

Why has powdered melamine been added to pet food and baby formula?

In 2007, U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials speculated melamine was added to the wheat gluten and rice protein used for pet food because it falsely appeared to raise the protein content of the ingredients. In the tainted milk crisis, authorities suggest melamine was used to mask low nutrient levels in watered-down milk.

What are the side-effects of consuming melamine?

The current tainted milk crisis has shown that consuming products tainted with melamine can cause kidney stones and renal failure in infants. In April 2007, University of Guelph researcher Perry Martos said a reaction between melamine and cyanuric acid resulted in pets developing crystals in their kidneys.

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