Melamine - Infant Formula
New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) today announced the first 72 results from tests of infant formula sold on the New Zealand market had now been received from the laboratory and none of the product tested showed any contamination with melamine.
As a precaution the NZFSA has been testing all infant formula on sale in New Zealand following reports from China of illness in babies (particularly kidney disease) associated with contaminated infant formula.
On Friday NZFSA advised that while Customs records indicate no infant formula is imported directly from China, it plans to sample and test all brands and classes of infant formula on sale in New Zealand.
“This is a serious event in China and we know that some parents here in New Zealand might also be concerned. We have no reason to believe that any of this product is in New Zealand but have acted immediately as a precautionary measure,” says NZFSA Deputy Chief Executive, Sandra Daly.
“We will post these results on our website as soon as possible and will continue to do this as further sample results are received. We are planning to test all brands and classes as quickly as possible, but recognise that there may be some that are not picked up immediately. As these come to light we will add them to our test programme and publish the results.”
New Zealand imports only very small amounts of conventional dairy products such as milk, milk powder and cheese from China, but NZFSA is also looking at other processed foods where dairy ingredients may be a significant component.
“Any product lines identified as containing Chinese dairy product as a significant ingredient will be targeted for testing. We expect more results over the next week and will report on the outcomes of these investigations as they are available. Although we believe it is an unlikely possibility, should we find any problems we will take appropriate action.”
NZFSA will continue to monitor this issue over the foreseeable future and will post results as they become available.