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Melamine in milk products from China (2008)

In early September 2008, the CFIA implemented a number of activities to monitor for the potential presence of melamine in food products and livestock feed ingredients from China.

For example, the CFIA implemented testing requirements for imports of infant formula and infant foods containing milk and milk-based ingredients. In addition, a border lookout requirement was implemented which included foods from 21 countries. This was eventually reduced to include only China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Taiwan, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.

Due to the high rate of compliance in the food samples tested, the border lookout requirement for food products was removed on February 16th, 2009.

The CFIA continues to carry out monitoring activities to ensure compliance with Canadian standards. As part of the Food Safety Action Plan, further monitoring will be conducted for melamine in various imported food commodities. The CFIA will also consult with the import industry to develop best practices for control of imported ingredients.

Related Alerts

For a list of products that have tested positive at levels higher than interim standards please see the table in the Report on Testing Results for Melamine.


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