After recent reports of wet petfood containing melamine levels in excess of the 2.5 mg/kg legal limit, the European Commission created a Regulation to amend Annex 1 to Directive 2002/32/EC, which sets the legal maximum level of melamine in animal feed.

Although the legal limit of melamine in canned petfood will remain at 2.5 mg/kg, a footnote has been added to state that this is on an “as sold” basis rather than a 12 percent moisture basis.

Once passed by the European Parliament, the Regulation to amend Annex 1 to Directive 2002/32/EC will be published in the Official Journal. The Regulation will then be enforced on the 20th day after publication, which is expected in early 2013.