Dairy ingredients and soybean meal coming from China for use in Canadian livestock feed now must be tested for melamine.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, working with the Canada Border Services Agency, ordered the new testing regime for such products on Oct. 17, “effective immediately,” looking both for melamine and for cyanuric acid, often found along with melamine.
Apart from Chinese soybean meal, CFIA’s new directive covers imports from China of whole, skim or partly skimmed milk powder; whey powder, modified whey products and casein products; dairy protein concentrates; and recycled dairy food products such as liquid milk, yogurt or infant formula.
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Importers, CFIA said, will now have to provide test results indicating that ingredients coming from China – either directly, or indirectly through other countries – don’t contain detectable levels of melamine and cyanuric acid.
CFIA’s moves follow the latest scandal over melamine contamination in Chinese food products, this time in the dairy industry. As of Oct. 15, at least four children in China are reported dead and thousands more sickened from drinking melamine-laced milk since last month.
