VietNamNet Bridge - On October 17, the Department of Food Safety announced the test results of Aptamil milk originating from England, which showed aluminum levels ranging from 3 to 3.44 mg per kilo.

Earlier, the Vietnam Food Administration asked the National Institute for Food Control to test all Aptamil products from the UK for aluminum content, which is detrimental for health of babies.

In a recent study by Keele University, published in the journal BMC Pediatrics, 30 types of popular formulas sold in the UK were tested. Top formula baby milk brands including Aptamil Toddler Growing Up, Sma Toddler, Cow and Gate First and Hipp Organic, all contained levels of aluminum which were too high. Both ready-to-drink and powdered varieties were contaminated with same concentration of aluminum.

The Vietnam Food Administration quickly contacted the Food Standards Agency and the European Food Safety Authority over the matter yet both agencies have not confirmed their findings yet.

According to the Codex Alimentarius Commission, there is no adequate criterion upon which to base a safety level for aluminum in infant formulas. Therefore the administration had conducted an independent testing.

Currently international and national agencies on food standardization (including Vietnam) have not specified the maximum safe limit of aluminum in food. In 2011, the joint committee on food additives of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) established the acceptable weekly intake of aluminum through foods at 2 mg per kilo.

Based on the test results on the Aptamil milk, the Department of Food Safety estimated that the possible maximum aluminum level for babies who completely use nutritional products is 0.49 to 0.56 mg per kilo per week, lower than the above safety threshold.

To ensure the health of the consumers, especially infants, the Department of Food Safety will continue to take more samples for testing of aluminum content of the Aptamil products form the UK on the market.

On October 16, the Department sent an official document to the British Embassy in Hanoi to ask for related information and the measures that the UK authorities have adopted to control this risk.

Le Ha