What is melamine? |12 December 2008

According to the standards of the US Food and Drug Administration the safety reference value..i.e. tolerable daily intake (TDI) for melamine is 0.63mg per kg body weight per day. For children under the age of 36 months, as they are more sensitive to melamine, the TDI for melamine is 0.32mg per body weight per day.

Countries like Canada, China, European Union, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia and Hong Kong have set the maximum limit for melamine in infant formula at 1mg/kg.

What are we doing?

Seychelles Bureau of standard will soon be in full gear to test for a selected food items for melamine residue.

Environmental Health Section - Food Control unit jointly with customs officers at the port of entry are verifying control of imported items by using a checklist produced and updated by WHO – Food Safety Division of food items tested and reported to be contaminated with melamine residue and those found are detained and disposed in the manner determined by authorised officer.

Most of the local importers have been advised to ensure food items originated from melamine suspected territories to avoid importing items as appeared on the WHO – checklist and also to ensure that other food items of milk based ingredients and infant formula are supported with copy of laboratory certificate following analysis.

Along with NATCOF we will continuously inform the public of suspected and contaminated items. Therefore take your responsibility, be informed and buy safe items.