FDA Sets Safe Levels for Melamine in Baby Formula

Less than two months after federal food regulators said they couldn’t set a safety threshold for melamine in baby formula, they announced a standard that allows for higher levels than those found in US-made batches of the product. FDA officials yesterday set a threshold of one part per million of melamine in formula, provided a related chemical isn't present. They insisted the formulas are safe.

The setting of the standard, which matches those in China and Canada, comes days after the AP reported that FDA tests found traces of melamine in the infant formula of one major US manufacturer and cyanuric acid, a chemical relative, in the formula of a second major maker. The amounts found in US-made formula are far below the amounts that have been blamed for killing at least three babies and making thousands ill in China.