Tolerance levels of Melamine in your food

Infant formula should not contain any melamine at all, but all other foods may have melamine up to 2.5 parts per million, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in an announcement Friday.

The federal health officials set this tolerance level in its interim safety and risk assessment report on melamine and melamine-related compounds present in food. Such assessments estimate the risk to health as a result of exposure to particular compounds.

In as far as infant formula and baby foods are concerned, the FDA set a zero-tolerance level: no amount of melamine, however infinitesimal, can be considered safe.

The FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition says there is not enough information that can be used to establish an acceptable level for infant formula below which there will be no concern of risk to public health.

But for food products other than infant formula, FDA believes there is enough basis to justify establishing the tolerance level at the maximum of 2.5 parts per million. The agency says this is like having one million grains of sand where all of them are white but two or three are black.

The FDA ruling will guide government inspectors when they check for contaminated foods in Asian stores around the country and in shipments from China offloaded at ports of entry.

Inspections have been tightened across the country because of melamine-contaminated infant formula that has sickened over 54,000 children in China and caused the death of at least four infants due to kidney problems. The chemical has also been detected in candies, chocolates, and coffee drinks sold in Asian markets.

Last week, authorities recalled China-produced White Rabbit candies after samples in California and Connecticut were found positive for melamine. The candies had melamine levels of 520 parts per million, which was 208 times higher than FDA’s level for tolerable risk.

The tolerable risk level set Friday does not mean FDA any deliberate attempts to adulterate food products with melamine. It is meant only to account for situations that may result in accidental contamination. Plastic dinnerware and Formica countertops, for example, contain melamine and very small amounts of the chemical may come into contact with food.

Melamine in food can lead to formation of kidney stones, as the body has difficulty eliminating it. In some cases, kidney failure and death may result.

There have been no reports of melamine-related illness in the U.S. The FDA assures consumers that infant formula made in the country is safe, because the FDA-approved manufacturers do not import ingredients from China.

Safety Tip:

* Use only infant formula from FDA-approved companies.