BEIJING, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Infant food products, in which levels of melamine, a toxic chemical normally used in manufacturing plastics, is higher than 1 milligram per kilogram of food, will be prohibited from sale in China, according to an official regulation issued Wednesday.
In other food products, the maximum tolerable level of melamine is 2.5 mg for per kg of food, said the regulation, issued by Chinese Health Ministry along with other government agencies.
"Melamine, neither a kind of food material or food additive, is prohibited from being intentionally added into food," said the regulation, which took effect on Wednesday.
Anyone who purposely adds melamine to food would be dealt with according to the law, it added.
However, the regulation also noted very low levels of melamine may enter the food chain naturally from the environment or through products package materials.
Ingestion of melamine over a period of time can cause damage to people's urinary and reproductive systems, lead to kidney stones, and bladder cancer.
In 2008, China's food industry suffered a heavy blow when milk products were found to contain dangerous levels of melamine, which were intentionally added to make milk appear to be protein-rich. The toxic milk killed at least six babies and sickened 300,000 others across the country.
Related:
Chinese Premier calls for more efforts to heed public opinion
BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has called for increased efforts to heed public opinion in formulating government policies, saying the government will create conditions to encourage people to speak truthfully.
In the full text of a speech released Sunday, Wen told the members of the Counselors' Office and the Central Research Institute of Culture and History (CRICH) at a seminar on April 14 to convey the people's wishes without concealing anything, and let the government know existing problems, contradictions and difficulties. Full story
China mulls prohibiting use of Bisphenol-A in infant food containers
BEIJING, April 20 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Health is mulling prohibiting the use of Bisphenol-A, a chemical widely used in plastics manufacturing, in infant food containers, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday.
The ministry is soliciting opinions from related government agencies on the draft regulations that would prohibit the manufacturing and import of infant food containers that contain the chemical beginning June 1, 2011, said a statement that Xinhua received from the ministry. Full story
China targets dairy products, meat in food safety campaign for 2011
BEIJING, March 25 (Xinhua) -- China has rolled out its annual working plan to beef up food safety in 2011, as more food safety scandals have entered media spotlight and aroused public concerns.
The plan was introduced by the General Office of the State Council, and published on the website of the Central People's Government, www.gov.cn, on Friday. Full story
