UN food safety meeting sets limit amount of melamine in food and feed

GENEVA – GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization says an annual food safety meeting has set new limits for melamine contamination in food and infant formula.

Melamine contamination in milk products has been blamed for sickening nearly 300,000 babies and the deaths of at least six infants in China in recent years. Melamine is a chemical used in making plastics, fertilizers and even concrete.

WHO said Tuesday that 130 countries meeting in Geneva decided to limit melamine to 2.5 milligrams per kilogram with some exceptions. The threshold for infant milk formula was set at 1 milligram per kilogram, equivalent to the U.S. limit of 1 part per million.

The limit won't be legally binding but countries can refuse to allow the import of products deemed below minimum quality.