Melamine

Melamine is an industrial chemical used mainly to make the resins found in tableware, kitchen utensils and laminates. It can reach food in two ways: by migration from melamine articles in contact with food, and through contamination or adulteration of protein ingredients. Because melamine is rich in nitrogen, adding it can artificially raise the protein value measured by total-nitrogen methods, which is what happened in the milk powder incidents of 2008.

What we test

We determine melamine in milk and dairy products, including milk powder, and in protein ingredients used by the food industry. The test is useful at intake of raw materials from new sources, in supplier control programmes, and when an unusually high protein result needs to be explained.

For melamine tableware and kitchenware, migration is checked under conditions that simulate real use, and the result is compared with the applicable specific migration limit.

Tell us the product, the context and what your customer or the authority requires; we will confirm before the samples arrive whether, and on what terms, we can carry out the test.

Regulatory framework

• Regulation (EU) 2023/915 on maximum levels for certain contaminants in food, including melamine;
• Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 on materials and articles intended to come into contact with food;
• Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 on plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food.

How we work

Samples are received with full traceability and results are issued in a test report. Accredited tests are marked as such on the report and are listed in the RENAR annex; melamine testing is not currently included in the annex.