Govt hands over eight samples of powdered milk to FAO

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FE Report
The government has sought cooperation of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in its move to detect traces of melamine in imported powdered milk of eight foreign brands.
A statement of the Ministry of Commerce, issued on Tuesday, said the government formed an expert team, which already received samples of imported powdered milk and handed over those to the FAO for laboratory test abroad under its supervision.
Apart from this, it said the expert team also handed over the samples of powdered milk to the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) and the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) authorities for carrying out tests at their laboratories.
Earlier Sunday, a five-member committee, led by Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Industries Mohammad Ibrahim Khalil collected the samples from local markets in presence of representatives of the New Zealand Dairy Products Bangladesh Ltd, Arla Foods Bangladesh and Nestle Bangladesh Ltd.
The Ministry of Commerce Monday in an official handout announced the formation of the 12-member-expert team with its Joint Secretary Mohammad Ali Patwary as the convener.
The commerce ministry handout said samples of all eight brands-- Australian brands Diploma and Red Cow, Danish brand Dano Full Cream, Chinese brands Yashili-1, Yashili-2 and Sweet Baby-2, and New Zealand brands Nido Fortified Instant and Anlene-have been sent for laboratory tests.
Amid confusion about the existence of melamine in powder milk of the eight foreign brands, the government Sunday decided at an inter-ministerial meeting to form the committee to carry out fresh laboratory tests at home and abroad to obtain an authentic report.
The confusion arose after the Chemistry Department of the Dhaka University (DU) revealed that melamine was detected in the powdered milk of eight foreign brands during laboratory tests.
Out of the aforesaid eight foreign brands, merely one tested positive for melamine at two other laboratories including that of the BSTI where tests were carried out simultaneously with the one at the Department of Chemistry, DU. The brand that tested positive in all the three laboratories was Yashili-1 of China.
However, the expert committee has been instructed to submit its report within the next seven working days with remarks after proper scrutiny.