Through its notification dated 5th January 2016 the FSSAI has added a new regulation to the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins, and Residues) Regulations, 2011. The new standards have been regulated after considering the objections and suggestions received with regard to the earlier July 2015, notification on melamine in milk and milk products. According to the amendment a new section has been added to the regulation called ‘Other contaminants’ in the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins, and Residues) Regulations, 2011. The newly amended regulations will now be called the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, toxins, and Residues) Amendment Regulations, 2016. The new regulation deals with the maximum levels of melamine in infant formula as well as other milk products. Once notified in the Official Gazette, the regulation will come into force with immediate effect.
The table below gives the maximum levels of melamine that can be found in the mentioned food products. These limits are the same as given in the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
Sl.No. | Name of the contaminant | Food | Maximum level
(mg/kg) |
(1) | (2) | (3) | (4) |
1. | Melamine | Powdered infant formula | 1.0 |
Liquid infant formula | 0.15 | ||
Other foods | 2.5 |
About melamine
The World health organization (WHO) has defined melamine as “an organic base chemical most commonly found in the form of white crystals rich in nitrogen. Melamine is used in plastics, adhesives, countertops, dishware, whiteboards etc. However, there is a reason why melamine is used to adulterate milk. When water is added to raw milk it dilutes it and this lowers the protein content of the milk. Companies that use this diluted milk in liquid and powdered infant formula check the protein level of the raw milk by testing it for nitrogen content. If melamine has been added to the milk it will show a good level of nitrogen and therefore the milk will pass muster as being protein rich.
Melamine-contaminated milk can lead to kidney failure in infants. Melamine on its own has low toxicity. However, cyanuric acid is sometimes present in melamine powder and when the two make a combination it can lead to the formation of crystals. Once these crystals are formed they block the small tubes in the kidney which leads to kidney failure and even death.
The methods used to test melamine earlier were rather complex, time-consuming and expensive. Recently a visibility test, which uses gold nanoparticles to detect melamine, was developed. If the milk is contaminated with melamine the gold nanoparticles will change color from wine red to blue. The WHO has asked companies to find a swift method for detecting melamine. So now new screening equipment has been developed that can be used to detect concentrations of melamine in milk down to 0.1mg/kg and the sample analysis takes just a few minutes. In many countries, food manufacturers who deal with milk and milk products now use the newer screening technologies to ensure that the melamine is within the regulated limits. However, screening does not always catch very low limits of melamine, especially as required for liquid milk formula, so samples are also sent to accredited food testing laboratories.
Chandrakant Agrawal says
India is the world’s largest milk producing country. And now by mixing melamine in milk, India is harming the people of the country. What was the reason to legalize Melamine? Society like fssai is engaged in ruining our country.
Restrict the use of Melamine. And fssai institution should be closed.
SR says
Why our Indian ruling organisation(FASSAI) for food safety has to allow melamine even to any limits in the country even when latest research shows it harmful effects on human such contaminant should be banned and why they are deteriorating the lives of our young generation?
abhishek shah says
why do you allow melamine in milk or any food, when we know that it causes kidney failure and eventually it increase burden on health cost and also destroy a lot of family. why can’t you just say that melamine is not allowed at all. it is better not to eat rather taking poison and also spending money for this.
Vikram Patel says
Why even a trace of melamine should be allowed as it is not a natural ingredient of milk.
Dr. Saurabh Arora says
Hi, these are the same limits as given by CODEX. It is not possible to assign a zero value to anything as it is limited by the analytical capabilities. This is a very stringent limit.
Anil kumar Saini says
fssai ne melamine ko milk me milane ki permission kyo di jab ki WHO ne iske itne side effect bta rakhe hai.
Aruna rai says
Please do not get confused, this does not mean that you have to add it. The regulation means that it should not be present in the products. The limit is like the limits set for pesticide residues, the method used for testing should be able to detect at this very low level to make sure no melamine is there.
Hardik Sankaliya says
Why melamine is approved to add in food and milk products???? As WHO not allow to add melamine to food and milk.
Mann says
on what grounds melamine is recommended to be added in milk or any food products?? What will happen if we don’t add melamine? why it is approved by FSSAI ?
Dr. Saurabh Arora says
Please do not get confused, this does not mean that you have to add it. The regulation means that it should not be present in the products. The limit is like the limits set for pesticide residues, the method used for testing should be able to detect at this very low level to make sure no melamine is there.
Ramesh says
But they add melamine to make money and who checks the leve of melamine in milk ?
sharma says
Dr Saurabh
Does this not mean that legally they are allowed to add melamine to these limits even though small traces are found to be dangerous for health.
Dr. Saurabh Arora says
No
NK Prajapati says
Dr Arora, where are the mentioning of the permissible limits in food ingredients? What are the guidelines of penal process on such industries introducing Melamine in food ingredients by FSSAI?
Dr. Saurabh Arora says
Dear NK, The list of additives and permitted limits are well defined in the Act. Melamine is not an additive it is a contaminant and the very stringent limit is prescribed based on analytical capabilities. If it is detected in samples the sample will be classified as unsafe and will attract huge penalties and imprisonment.
Puneet Chauhan says
Dear Saurabh,
are you drinking this milk daily ?.If we see our all foods item,all they have little amount of contamination that is approved by Fssai and if we add these all contamination that we are taking daily it will make big impact .
I think it is not a indian Government website ,we should go directly to fssai new delhi office .
Dr. Manisha says
Why FSSAI has not given fair decision that, Melamine will be not acceptable even in ppm level? Permissible limit means creating loop hole in the form of confusion and interpretation?
Anand says
Please refer Chinese milk scandal and many other scandals involving mixing of melamine with infant milk and the huge population of infants getting sick. In India , who tests the melamine quantities are within limits when there is plenty of fake mawa, shampoo milk rampantly getting being sold under the very stringent rules by FSSAI. As rightly suggested by WHO, the tests for detecting melamine are expensive. So does fssai ensure that the so called companies submit test reports for melamine concentration as per limits to fssai?? Why we are not concerned about other nations who had banned this substance completely?
Hanumant Rai Bansal says
When all other countries ban melamine why our country decisions allow to manufacturers to add this in milk and other products. Whether decision makers and manufacturers think that there family will not consume that things? They are wrong. Every body have to face diseases created by melamine. 0% should be the limit to add in products if health organisations want to survive society otherwise decision is yours we can only suggest and aware public.
Pravin says
I am afraid the innocent looking milkmen coming from villages are also using malamine in their milk. Perhaps they are not aware of the consequences or they are just not bothered.
Is there any solution to this problem?
Dr. Saurabh Arora says
We have analyzed 1000s of samples and melamine is rarely detected in domestic products. Don’t worry about your kilk man adding it.
Harsh says
why not we ban melamine in food products like america and china?
Dr. Saurabh Arora says
Harsh It is banned.
Anant says
Diesel FSSI stipulates for identifying if Melamine is adulterated by a manufacturer?
And if found so,what is process for procecuting suchak manufacturer?
Neelam Sachan says
Pesticides get entry into milk and milk products through many sources even if not intentionally added. But what about melamine. It is not a natural contaminant. Then why it should be allowed in foods.
Shankar Lal says
what grounds melamine is recommended to be added in milk or any food products?? What will happen if we don’t add melamine? why it is approved by FSSAI ?
It’s mean in upcoming days FSSAI may have approved pure poison to add in food products for tasting purpose. As from couple of days we hearing news we have only 14k crores ltr milk production but in our country milk consumption near about 64k crores, have any responsibility of FSSAI??