http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/publicatio...onse-update.htm
New Zealand melamine response update
26 September 2008

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) has today been working with other international food safety and health authorities to determine the level of melamine in food that will present negligible risks to public health.

“Since the identification of the problems in China, food safety authorities all around the world have been working to identify public health threshold levels for melamine. We know that the presence of this chemical is part and parcel of our life today, apparently leaching from plastics and contact materials during processing and packaging in trace quantities. We also know that at low levels it causes us no harm. Determining just how high levels have to be before there is a risk is something we are all struggling with,” says Dr Geoff Allen, NZFSA Director (Compliance & Investigation).

NZFSA has been in close contact with authorities in Australia, Canada, Europe and the United States and elsewhere since the issue with melamine adulteration in China became known.

“Over the past week, our scientists have been exchanging information with their international colleagues. Last night, the European Food Safety Authority updated its opinion on the estimated tolerable daily intake (TDI) of melamine and left it unchanged at 0.5 mg/kg bodyweight (ie, for every kg a person weighs they can safely consume 0.5 mg every day – for a 20 kg child this is 10 mg; for a 70 kg adult the safe amount is 35 mg).”

Based on this figure, which is very close to but lower than that of the United States, NZFSA has adopted a conservative threshold of 5 ppm for most foods. This means that it has been considered that foods containing up to 5 ppm of melamine do not pose a risk to human health. However for starter infant formula, this level will be set to the current level of test detection of 1 ppm.

If NZFSA detects amounts above these levels, a risk assessment will be undertaken, taking into account how much melamine is in the food and how much is likely to be eaten in a day. If it is likely that anticipated consumption levels of the food will cause people to exceed the 0.5 mg/kg bodyweight tolerable daily intake, or there is a suspicion of adulteration, then the appropriate regulatory action will be taken.

The measures NZFSA has imposed at the border will provide further assurances that products containing contaminated Chinese dairy ingredients should not enter New Zealand. From Tuesday, Customs checks will identify risk consignments at the border. Identified risk consignments will be stopped on arrival and only released when they have been found to meet New Zealand test requirements.

“New Zealand’s border measures are similar to those in place in Australia and at least equal to those announced yesterday by the European Union,” said Dr Allen. “While we are also continuing our testing programme of risk foods containing dairy products from China currently sold on the New Zealand market, to date we have found no further reasons for concern. We will continue to post the results on our website and to take action as appropriate. The bulk of the testing has now been completed and provides a high level of assurance for the key foods tested.”

Should further results of concern be identified, NZFSA will again use the most appropriate regulatory tool or tools to quickly advise consumers of the risk and remove the product from supermarket shelves.

“New Zealand law is quite clear that importers and retailers are responsible for ensuring the safety of the foods they sell, and are just as responsible for informing consumers and removing those products from shelves if required. NZFSA has powers to act to protect public health should those selling non-compliant products refuse to fulfil their legal responsibilities. We are pleased that, to date throughout this international problem, New Zealand importers and retailers that we are aware of are fully cooperating.”

NZFSA also today advised that it had completed its initial investigations and confirmed that the locally produced product that has been found to contain melamine is lactoferrin, a highly processed dairy product that is used as an ingredient in a range of products.

“Melamine can be found in the food cycle in minute traces from a range of sources. Explanations for its presence in this case include leaching from plastic involved in processing or packaging, or other unintended outcome of the manufacturing process. At these low levels, it does not present any health risk for consumers,” said Dr Allen. “Further, because it is much diluted in the final product, it is unlikely it would even be detectable. In fact some of the products that we have already tested and cleared contain lactoferrin.”

NZFSA will continue monitoring the actions being taken by key food safety authorities in other countries and believes that our approach will ensure New Zealand consumers have confidence in the New Zealand food supply.

ENDS

Further comment: Geoff Allen, Director (Compliance & Investigation), 029-894 2518

Further information: Gary Bowering, Manager (Communications), 029-894 2532

http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarc...08/sep/melamine
Update on melamine
Friday 26 September 2008


The European Commission has asked EU Member States to carry out checks on all products imported from China that contain over 15% milk.

As part of their normal regime, local authorities at seaports and airports carry out regular checks on imported food to ensure that it meets strict EU food safety requirements.

All products from China containing more than 15% milk as an ingredient, or products where the percentage of milk content cannot be established, will be subject to documentary, identity and physical checks, including laboratory analysis, to determine that any levels of melamine present in the product do not exceed 2.5 mg/kg. Those products with more than 2.5mg/kg will be destroyed.

The Food Standards Agency works with port health authorities and local authorities to ensure EU controls are strictly enforced. There has been a longstanding ban on the import of milk and other products of animal origin from China as controls on the food industry in China do not meet the very strict requirements set in the EU.

At present, we have no evidence of contaminated products in the UK. Should any be found, we will take appropriate action and provide updates online.

The Agency has today written to ports and local authorities across the country to alert them to this new testing regime. The letters can be found at the links below.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has confirmed that the risk from these composite products (food containing a proportion of milk product) is low.

我是覺得應該堅持原來的"零"檢出標準,而不是去向英美或是紐西蘭看齊
紐西蘭那標準有點鬆,或許應該去檢查一下紐西蘭進口的是否有問題,越安全的地方
或許越危險

信任危機已經產生了
之前可以很簡單的處理
現在已經被爆出太多秘密

再說回來歐美日這些國家敢禁止進口中國乳製品
而且出問題會向中國提出索賠

經過這次的事件，老百姓大概會有很長的時間會看產地買東西，所以商人也很難進口大陸東西來賺取更多利潤∼∼

出口到歐美日等國家也會被另外嚴格檢查

其實看產地也沒用了
我長期以來買金車咖啡就是因為產地標明台灣
沒想到原料居然用大陸的

或許真的要立法標明原料產地

沒想到我國這次的確有達到國際水準
甚至領先紐西蘭

這實在是有違外國月亮比較圓的原則

外國人竟然能有2.5ppm,甚至5ppm的容忍量
不知道為何不是0ppm,她們國內不會有相關的團體體來抗議嗎?

趁這個機會...
台灣應該推個100%國產標準認證....
100%原料是國產,100%不含xxx
讓國民愛用國貨....

舶來貨牌子大是大...
可是你那知原料是在大陸生產的...有沒有加啥鬼東西.....