Modern lab soon to analyse food products

Dharma Sri Abeyratne and Anuradha Kodagoda

The Food Security Committee yesterday made recommendations regarding melamine. Accordingly the Food Security Committee (FSC) has recommended several interim standards for melamine in products containing milk and milk-derived ingredients.

Basically the FSC has considered three main formulae for Infants, children and lactating mothers and other food products containing milk and milk derived ingredients.

Under the Infant formula, melamine should not be present. In other words level of melamine and melamine related compounds should definitely be zero level. The level of melamine and melamine related compounds should be below one milligram per Kilogram (1mg/Kg). This indicates one Parts Per million (1 PPM) for milk products which are made for children above twelve months to three years and pregnant and lactating mothers. Level of melamine and melamine related compounds below 2.5mg/Kg means 2.5 PPM (2.5 parts per million)

Under the third formula it is allowed to have 2.5 PPM melamine in products which are made of using milk powder such as chocolate, biscuits and other bakery products. "However the actual ratio is far below the recommended level" the Assistant Director for FAC P. Madarasinghe said.

Minister of Healthcare and Nutrition Nimal Siripala de Silva said that moves are under way to establish a modern laboratory in due course aiming to analyze food products especially for melamine. So far no food product has tested positive for melamine even though 37 laboratory reports have been received out of 122 food samples which have been sent to Singapore for melamine tests, the Minister said. In addition, the Food Security Committee has taken a decision to ban the imports of Babul, Sweet Betel and other chewing products unless they do not posses compulsory three quality certificates since these products have been identified as a cause for oral cancer. First the products have to be certified by the health Ministry or equivalent institute of the exporting country. Then the producer must forward a quality certificate obtained by a certified laboratory. Finally the products have to be certified by the health authorities of Sri Lanka and only then can the product be imported.