Dhaka - Authorities in Bangladesh have sought assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations for testing of imported milk powder suspected of containing the industrial chemical melamine, media reports said Wednesday. The government has handed over samples of eight brands of powdered milk to the UN agency for testing of the baby formula in overseas labs to cross-check the test results in local laboratories.
Lab tests in Dhaka detected the presence of melamine above the permitted safe levels in almost all brands of imported milk powder, and now the government wants further confirmation before it comes to a final decision over use of the baby food.
An official handout says the military-backed government assigned a 12-member committee of experts to supervise re-testing the milk brands, which were tested earlier for melamine, and to make arrangements for FAO cooperation.
The FAO, working in close cooperation with the World Health Organisation, is responsible for food safety issues, from production to consumption, using risk analysis methods.
After reports of the Chinese powdered milk scam, tests by Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institution and Bangladesh Council for Scientific and Industrial Research detected the Chinese formula contaminated with melamine in late September.
Then the authorities ordered an investigation into all available brands of powdered milk in the domestic market and many tested positive.
The brands of powder milk that have been collected from the local market and handed over to the experts are New Zealand's Nido Fortified Instant and Anlene non-fat milk powder, Australia's Red Cow full cream milk powder and Diploma milk powder, and Denmark's Dano full cream milk powder.
Samples of Chinese Sweetbaby 2, Yashli 1 and Yashli 2 collected earlier by the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution have been handed over to the committee of experts.
The Chinese brands are no longer available on the market.
