The Chinese General Administration of
Customs released information in October 2022 on unqualified imported food and
cosmetics discovered during its port supervision process. The safety and
sanitation levels for the imported foods and cosmetics were below the legal
standard, and as a result, these products were barred from import into China.
Nutrilon infant milk powder was one of these unqualified products.
The substandard Nutrilon milk products were
imported from the Netherlands by Chongqing Xinshida Technology Co., Ltd. These
products included Nutrilon Infant Milk Stage 4 Baby Formula 800g, Nutrilon
Infant Milk Stage 5 Baby Formula 800g, Nutrilon Platinum Edition Infant Milk
Stage 2 Baby Formula 800g, and Nutrilon Pepti Edition Infant Milk Stage 2 Baby
Formula 800g. Certain contents of these substandard products, such as copper,
vitamin D, protein, and iron, did not meet the national regulatory requirements
of China. The General Administration of Customs of China pointed out in its
announcement that the listed foods that were barred from import did not meet
the national food safety standards or the requirements of relevant laws and
regulations during the import inspection, and all of them have been returned or
destroyed according to law.
China
frequently blocks milk powder imports, including Arla and Bioshine products
In fact, many imported milk powder products
have been tested frequently and have not met national standards during recent
years in China. For example, in the
first half of 2022, the controlled food additive vanillin was detected in Arla
Baby & Me Ready to Drink 0-6 Months infant milk powder, sold by Shandong
Weifang Baoduoduo Maternal and Infant Products Co., Ltd., Chuangye Street
Branch, imported by Shanghai Pudong New Area Duomeizi Infant Food Co., Ltd,
produced by Arla Foods amba AKAFA in Denmark on September 29, 2020 and expired
on September 29, 2023, as the content of vanillin in this product failed to
meet Chinese food safety standards.
Vanillin was also detected in Bioshine
infant formula goat milk powder, sold by Bioshine (Hunan) Dairy Co., Ltd. The
measured value of vanillin was 940.6 μg/kg, which exceeds the amount permitted
by national food safety standards in China. As a result, over 36,000 cans of
Bioshine Stage 1 0-6 Months Infant Formula Goat Milk Powder, valued at RMB 1.2
million, were confiscated by Changsha Market Supervision Administration, and an
additional fine of RMB 5.8 million was imposed on Bioshine. In total, the
company was fined almost RMB 7 million.
Bioshine’s official website shows that as
the Chinese branch of NIG Nutritionals Ltd, the company is fully responsible
for the sale, promotion and after-sale service of Bioshine milk powder and
other series of products in the Asia-Pacific region. The company also assists the
New Zealand headquarters of NIG Nutritionals Ltd. and other related businesses
in the Asia-Pacific region.
China’s
import blocks due to tightening regulations on infant nutritional products
An industry representative told reporters
that some milk powder brands may not meet national regulations, because some
imported milk powder is still following old standards and old formulas. With
the introduction of a new national standard for milk powder, imported milk
powder companies also need to develop new formulas in line with these new
standards. At present, differences exist in the formulas of milk powder in
various countries. The main reason for the differences is not due to different
nutritional needs of infants, but rather due to the different practices regarding
nutritional additives in different countries.
For more information, please check our Dairy Products China News.
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