International attention has been drawn to Chinese imports of late following contamination cases involving products from pet food to toothpaste. Subsequently manufacturers are feeling the pressure to do their bit and show they are sourcing responsibly.

The independent testing laboratory is expanding its melamine testing capabilities in China, as it says demand for such services has shot up due to the recent recalls.

"It is the processors' legal responsibility to ensure that all ingredients used in their products are safe, and our goal is to help these companies fulfill this commitment while also protecting the public," said NSF vice president of supply chain food safety and quality programs, Tom Chestnut.

In order to specifically address the testing needs for China, NSF said its Shanghai laboratory will expand its services and local auditors will inspect facilities to screen for melamine and other toxins.

This process will involve raw materials, ingredients and finished products destined for export.

In April, wheat gluten products imported from China for use by the pet food industry were found to have been contaminated with the banned chemical melamine and were blamed for the deaths of hundreds of dogs and cats.

Then regulators discovered the pet products had been fed to a herd of hogs and three million chickens, leading to fears the contamination would spread further to the human food chain.

The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in turn gave its inspectors the power to detain all vegetable protein imports from China for use in animal or human foods if they suspected the products might contain the chemical.

FDA has also advised consumers to avoid buying any toothpaste labeled as made in China, after a recent scare over poisonous chemicals found in toothpaste exports from the country.

To counteract the potential for this to continuing affecting Chinese exporters, NSF is offering its services and screen using FDA analytical methods. According to the organization, these include: melamine testing, screening and quantitative analysis using chromatographic techniques such as gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) or high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC).

"With a network of fully-accredited laboratories, NSF can evaluate a wide range of products and raw materials to protect against melamine adulteration, and by conducting the tests before products are exported from China, we can help to ensure that the supply chain is not interrupted," said Chestnut.