China will be stricter to all baby formula producers, both local and foreign in selling their products. Since several numbers of contaminated milk cases have been reported over the years, baby formula producers are now required to register and secure permits from China Food and Drug Administration.
Baby formula producers that use imported raw materials must indicate the country or place where it originated. In a statement obtained by Xinhua, ambiguous phrases such as "imported milk," "from foreign pastures," or "imported raw materials" will not be allowed under the baby formula registration regulation.
Baby formula labels and instructions should not use claims, including "good for brain," "improve immunity" or "protect intestinal tracts," it said. The new food safety regulation stemmed from the contaminated milk scandal that killed six and made thousands of kids sick in 2008. During that time, milk was found contaminated with industrial chemical melamine.
The upsurge of contaminated baby formula in China led to increasing demand for imported milk. It also increased the occurrence of fake baby formulas.
China authorities arrested nine people connected with the production and selling of counterfeit baby formula under popular brands, Beingmate and Similac in April. They also confiscated 65,000 fake trademarks, more than 20,000 empty cans and nearly 1,000 cans of milk powder.
It was the latest in a string of food safety scandals in China since the 2008 incident. To arrest the food safety problems, the sale of fake infant formula over the internet was also monitored by the Shanghai Municipal Food and Drug Administration.
It was revealed that 17,000 cans of fake baby formula were sold that cost nearly US $309,000 (2.0 million yuan). In 2015, 700,000 tonnes of infant formula were manufactured. It accounts for the 65 percent of its annual sales.
Beginning April 8, China has required imported infant formula and dairy products producers to follow more stringent regulations, including Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA) plant registration, Chinese labeling, application documents for inspection, infant formula registration and pre-market approval documents, according to Dairy Reporter.
The rules have become tighter since May 25 after the Chinese authorities have announced new supervision requirements for Cross-border Ecommerce (CBEC) retail imports.
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