1. What is the action level for melamine?

The action level for melamine established by the Health Ministry is 1 mg/kg for infant foods and 2.5 mg/kg for other foods. This action level will be reviewed from time to time based on scientific development and latest information.

2. How much Melamine contaminated food would a person has to eat before they are exposed to health effect?

It is a non direct effect of melamine but the concentration of cyanuric acid leading to crystals. However, the health effects can be extrapolated based on animal studies. Data are available from animal feeding studies carried out in rats, mice and dogs. The main toxic effects of dietary exposure to melamine in rats and mice is stone formation based on oral feeding of 63 mg/kg body weight/day in a 13 week rat.
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Technorati Tags: china, confectionery, contaminants, infant formula, melamine, milk

Amid widespread fears over the China milk scare which has now spilled over to other countries, the Health Ministry today assured consumers that Malaysia does not import milk and infant formula from China. However, the ban on imports is now extended to all confectionery and dairy products from China as a precaution.

The ministry’s Food Safety and Quality Division said that the fact that Malaysia did not source milk and infant formula from China had been confirmed by the Chinese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and the Malaysia Veterinary Services Department (VSD), which issues import permits for all products sourced from animals.

It said Malaysia, however, imported milk products from China which were produced with milk supplies from Australia and New Zealand, Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 6% [?]

Technorati Tags: china, confectionery, dairy, dutch lady, infant formula, melamine, milk, nestle

Kuala Lumpur was 13th of the 51 cities to be visited by the Olympic torch on its way to Beijing. The final 31 of these venues are all in China, on the torch’s domestic tour of this year’s Olympic Games host country. This should rekindle the Olympic flame into a semblance of glory by the time it gets to its final destination, after an acrimonious world tour during which this symbol of universal amity in sport was subjected to indignities from protesters expressing solidarity with the people of Tibet.

The Malaysian leg of the Olympic Torch Relay went on relatively smoothly yesterday, except for four people, including a family of three, who were detained briefly for displaying pro-Tibet sentiments. Those detained were a Japanese couple in their 30s and their 5-year-old son and an English woman in her 40s. They were released after being questioned by the police for several hours.
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Popularity: 10% [?]

Technorati Tags: beijing, china, malaysia, olympic, torch relay, torchbearer