Many imported organic infant formulas and foreign milk powders of varying quality may no longer be able to hoodwink consumers and get away with it. Reporters learned yesterday that the newly revised Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Inspection and Quarantine of Imported Dairy Products will officially come into effect on 1st May. The new regulations stipulate that where labels of imported dairy products indicate foreign awards, honours, or certification marks obtained, relevant evidentiary documents confirmed through diplomatic channels must be provided. Furthermore, confirmation through diplomatic channels refers to confirmation by Chinese embassies or consulates abroad or foreign embassies or consulates in China. Industry insiders point out that this new regulation may curb the current high-priced sales of various foreign milk powders on the market that use the label “organic milk powder” as a selling point.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11416/
Furthermore, the reporter has learned that the Guangdong inspection and quarantine authorities have already regulated imported dairy products this year in accordance with the new regulations. As China implements increasingly strict import supervision on imported dairy products, some small enterprises may be squeezed out.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11416/
New regulations require a risk assessment for first-time imports.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11416/
The reporter learned yesterday from the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine that starting from 1 May, China is implementing stricter new regulations on dairy imports, which will introduce provisions such as “batch-by-batch self-inspection by importers” and “imports requiring risk assessment and compliance with China's national food safety standards”.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11416/
According to the Guangdong Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, China implements an access system for imported dairy products. Risk assessments are conducted on countries applying to import for the first time and their products, and products are only permitted to be imported from countries where the risk is within an acceptable range. Currently, dairy products from 30 countries, including the United States, New Zealand, Australia, and France, are permitted for import.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11416/
Every batch of imported dairy products must be accompanied by a product inspection report. For dairy products imported for the first time, inspection reports for the items specified in the corresponding national food safety standards shall be provided. For dairy products not imported for the first time, inspection reports for the items required by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine shall be provided.“文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11416/
According to the new regulations, when applying for inspection for the first import of dairy products, importers or their agents must provide test reports for the items specified in the corresponding national food safety standards for the products, including the standards for contaminants and mycotoxins in foods referenced in the standards. The explanation of the new regulations states that a first import means “the first import of a certain product dispatched from overseas through a certain port shall be deemed as the first import.” Subsequent batches of the product imported through the same port (referring to the jurisdiction of the same direct customs district) shall be deemed as non-first imports.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11416/
The new regulations stipulate that if imported dairy products fail safety and hygiene items, upon re-importation, the importer or their agent must provide test reports for five consecutive batches covering the items listed in the corresponding national food safety standards. If the failed test item is an illegal additive, the test report must include that item.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11416/
Imported baby formula labelled as “organic certified” must provide proof文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11416/
Furthermore, journalists noted from the new regulations on imported dairy products that for various honorary claims on the labels of imported dairy products, China requires importing companies to provide “supporting documents confirmed through diplomatic channels.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11416/
It is understood that the foreign-made milk powders currently sold domestically boast a wide variety of “accolades” on their outer packaging and in related promotional materials. Yesterday, when the reporter typed “imported organic milk powder” into Taobao, 8,478 items popped up instantly. Some claimed to be “organic milk powder” certified by a certain organisation, some claimed to be the only certified organic infant formula from Australia or New Zealand, and others claimed to be Swiss organic milk powder. In response to this, in future, anyone claiming “XX Certification” will need to provide conclusive proof.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11416/
In accordance with the new regulations, importers will be required to provide supporting documents authenticated through diplomatic channels for any foreign awards, honours, certification marks, etc., displayed on the labels of imported dairy products. “Authentication through diplomatic channels means authentication by our country's embassies and consulates abroad or foreign embassies and consulates in China.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11416/
With the full implementation of the new imported dairy regulations approaching, Song Liang, a dairy analyst at the China Association of Productivity Promotion for Commerce, believes this will further raise the quality and safety threshold for imported foreign milk powder into China, helping to guarantee the safety of domestic dairy consumption. “This means that imported dairy products can now be traced back to their source; counterfeit and substandard foreign milk powder will be driven out of the market, and the entire foreign milk powder industry will be regulated.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11416/
According to data from the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, in 2012, entry-exit inspection and quarantine authorities at all ports across China intercepted a total of 318 batches of substandard imported dairy products weighing 566 tonnes, including 43 batches of substandard infant formula weighing 80.95 tonnes.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11416/
Industry impact文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11416/
Some enterprises may be phased out文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11416/
It was learned yesterday by reporters that Guangdong has long since inspected and quarantined imported dairy products according to new regulations this year.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11416/
According to a person in charge of a Guangdong-based company that imports dairy products from overseas for domestic sale, the inspection and quarantine items and procedures that the company's dairy products underwent upon entry this year were more numerous than before, and the approval time upon entry was also longer. “The inspection and quarantine of imported milk powder upon entry has seen its testing cycle change from the original two weeks to about one month,” the person said, adding that both the main items and batches tested have increased compared with before. “For example, previously 10 out of 100 batches of milk powder were randomly inspected, but now every single batch is tested; at the same time, all the main indicators on the milk powder formula list have to be tested.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11416/
Officials from the Guangdong Inspection and Quarantine Bureau also stated that there are currently over 60 testing items for infant formula products. Comprehensive testing is carried out on dairy products imported for the first time.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11416/
It is reported that relevant authorities will also increase spot checks and monitoring for emerging risk substances or those that may be added to dairy products. For instance, the Guangdong inspection and quarantine authorities have currently added testing for dicyandiamide to their testing items for dairy products imported from New Zealand.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11416/
The person in charge at the aforementioned dairy company pointed out that while industry insiders used to allow an average of 2-3 months from overseas shipping to obtaining a Chinese health certificate, an extra month now needs to be factored in. “This is equivalent to an extra month of inventory. Larger inventory volumes will tie up capital and increase costs. Coupled with an increase in testing items and rising testing fees, the various costs caused by the new regulations will place considerable pressure on many small and medium-sized enterprises, and it is estimated that some small businesses will withdraw.” According to industry insiders, currently smaller domestic imported dairy companies generally have annual sales of no more than 10 million yuan. Following the implementation of the new regulations, their annual testing fees could increase to around 5% of their total sales, and some small businesses with annual sales of only a few million yuan are very likely to be eliminated because they can no longer afford these testing fees.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11416/