WHO working on melamine test kit

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday it is developing a quick assessment tool to test for melamine contamination in food items, in the wake of a scandal involving Chinese dairy products tainted with the chemical.

"This tool may be used by government officials to decide on a 'level of concern' for melamine contamination," Jorgen Schlundt, director of WHO's department of food safety, zoonoses and foodborne diseases, said at a briefing.

"This way, we can ensure that contaminated food products are taken out of the system, while not causing undue concern over products that do not pose a health threat," he said, adding that contamination in small concentrations occurs in certain foods.