New Zealand melamine response update

 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.