8 Oct - The Chinese Government has set legal limits for levels of melamine permitted in dairy products in the wake of the contamination crisis that has caused four deaths and sickened an estimated 53,000 people.
The maximum level for the industrial chemical in baby formula is 1mg/kg, said deputy director for health supervision Wang Xuening.The limit for liquid milk and other dairy products has been set at 2.5mg/kg.
Wang told a briefing in Beijing: "Melamine is not a food raw material, and it's also not a food additive. We prohibit people adding it to food items. Cases where melamine has been added to food will be investigated according to law.”
The news comes as the Philippine authorities announced a third China-made product imported into the country had tested positive for melamine.
Jolly Cow Slender High Calcium Low Fat Milk had been found to be tainted with the chemical, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said yesterday.