Codex Alimentarius
Definition
The FAO/WHO joint food standards programme that sets international reference limits. Its 2012 action levels for melamine (2.5 mg/kg in infant formula, 1 mg/kg in other food) are the baseline for World Trade Organization dispute resolution and for countries that have not set national limits independently.
- Publisher
- FAO/WHO joint food standards programme
- Melamine limit, infant formula
- 2.5 mg/kg (2012)
- Melamine limit, other food
- 1 mg/kg (2012)
- Role
- Baseline for WTO disputes and countries without national limits
Common questions
Are Codex Alimentarius limits legally binding on member countries?+
No. Codex standards are voluntary reference limits; countries remain free to set stricter or different national limits, but Codex figures become the default reference point in World Trade Organization trade disputes and for jurisdictions that have not legislated their own limit.
Why does the melamine limit matter beyond the 2008 China scandal?+
The limits set afterward gave testing laboratories worldwide a defined threshold to apply when screening dairy and other protein-rich foods for melamine adulteration, which had previously been added to inflate apparent protein content on crude nitrogen-based assays.
Related terms
- ATR-FTIR
- Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy: a non-destructive mid-infrared method that analyses a single drop of milk pressed against an ATR crystal....
- Bromocresol Green (BCG) Test
- A colorimetric rapid test for surfactant detergents in milk: BCG at pH 4 partitions into surfactant micelles, shifting from yellow to blue-green...
- Cryoscopy
- Measurement of milk freezing-point depression (AOAC 961.07). Pure bovine milk freezes at -0.530 to -0.560°C; added water raises (makes less negative) the...
- Diacetyl Monoxime (DAM) Test
- A FSSAI-approved colorimetric rapid test for urea: urea reacts with DAM under acidic conditions to produce a yellow-to-orange chromophore readable at 540...
- FSSAI
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, established under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 as the central food regulatory body,...
- Kjeldahl Method
- The reference method for protein determination in food: sulphuric acid digestion converts all nitrogen to ammonium sulfate, which is titrated after distillation....
- LC-MS/MS MRM
- Liquid chromatography with triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry operated in multiple reaction monitoring mode. The most sensitive confirmatory method for melamine (primary MRM...
- Melamine
- 1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triamine (C3H6N6), a nitrogen-rich compound (66.7% N by mass) used industrially in resins and laminates, illegally added to milk and dairy products...
- Melamine-Cyanuric Acid Co-Crystal
- A 1:1 insoluble complex formed when melamine and cyanuric acid co-occur in acidic renal urine. The co-crystal precipitates inside renal tubules, causing...