Team holds its first meeting to detect traces of melamine
Tuesday, 21 October 2008
Naim-Ul-Karim
The high powered expert team, formed to detect traces of melamine in imported powdered milk of eight foreign brands, Monday held its first meeting as it obtained samples for laboratory tests, officials said.
Earlier, 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.
"We have collected the samples from the local markets and submitted those to the convener of the expert committee," Mr Khalil told the FE,
The Ministry of Commerce on Monday in an official order announced the formation of the 12 member-expert team with its joint secretary Mohammad Ali Patwary as convener.
Amid confusion about the existence of melamine in powder milk of the eight foreign brands, the government Sunday decided to form the committee at an inter-ministerial meeting to carry out fresh laboratory tests at home and abroad to obtain an authentic report.
The confusion arose after the Dhaka University's Chemistry Department revealed that melamine was found in the powdered milk of eight foreign brands during laboratory tests.
The eight brands are: Australian brands Diploma and Red Cow, Danish brand Dano Full Cream, Chinese brands Yashili-1, Yashili-2, Sweet Baby-2, and New Zealand brands Nido Fortified Instant and Anlene.
Out of these eight 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.
The high powered expert team, formed to detect traces of melamine in imported powdered milk of eight foreign brands, Monday held its first meeting as it obtained samples for laboratory tests, officials said.
Earlier, 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.
"We have collected the samples from the local markets and submitted those to the convener of the expert committee," Mr Khalil told the FE,
The Ministry of Commerce on Monday in an official order announced the formation of the 12 member-expert team with its joint secretary Mohammad Ali Patwary as convener.
Amid confusion about the existence of melamine in powder milk of the eight foreign brands, the government Sunday decided to form the committee at an inter-ministerial meeting to carry out fresh laboratory tests at home and abroad to obtain an authentic report.
The confusion arose after the Dhaka University's Chemistry Department revealed that melamine was found in the powdered milk of eight foreign brands during laboratory tests.
The eight brands are: Australian brands Diploma and Red Cow, Danish brand Dano Full Cream, Chinese brands Yashili-1, Yashili-2, Sweet Baby-2, and New Zealand brands Nido Fortified Instant and Anlene.
Out of these eight 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.