Years after dangerously-high levels of the industrial chemical melamine in powdered baby milk and other dairy products in China sparked worldwide safety concerns, India has fixed a maximum permissible
Years after dangerously-high levels of the industrial chemical melamine in powdered baby milk and other dairy products in China sparked worldwide safety concerns, India has fixed a maximum permissible limit of melamine in infant milk formula and other products.
According to a recent notification, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) imposed a permissible limit of 1 mg of melamine in every kg of powdered infant formula, 0.15 mg per kg in liquid infant formula and 2.5 mg per kg in other foods, making it mandatory for companies to abide by the new regulation.
China’s 2008 tainted milk scandal had res-ulted in disclosure of some harsh realities. The contamination of milk and milk products with melamine — an industrial chemical used in fertilisers and plastics — in China had led to death of some babies and sickened hundreds of thousands more. Melamine, because it is rich in nitrogen, can be used to disguise milk that has been watered down by fooli-ng tests for protein levels. The situation worsened so much so that the head of China’s qu-ality watchdog had to resign, becoming the first national leader to step down because of the scandal. The US even issued a nationwide “import alert” for China-made food products.
Following the incident, the Indian government too banned the import of Chinese milk and milk produ-cts. Last year, the government extended the ban till June 2016 due to the presence of this chemical. The government, however, stepped up its efforts in the same direction and last year, the FSSAI invited comments and suggestions on the new limit for melamine from persons likely to be infected.
Experts say the notification is a welcome move to end contamination in baby products as “the contamination can produce kidney stones and other fatal conditions, especially in children”.
According to the Codex Alimentarius Commission — the UN’s food standards body — the maximum limit of melamine content in powdered infant formula is 1 mg per kg, whereas for other foods and animal feed it is 2.5 mg per kg.
