Strict new rules for infant milk formula makers as China acts to restore public confidence
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 08 September, 2015, 12:01am
UPDATED : Tuesday, 08 September, 2015, 12:02am
Zhuang Pinghui
[email protected]
A woman carrying her baby walks by a cartoon logo at a shopping mall in Beijing, China. Photo: AP
Beijing has proposed stricter rules for infant formula makers including more aggressive supervision of ingredients, limiting the number of small manufacturers and banning misleading advertising claims.
Authorities hope that thinning out the market and placing it under a more demanding regulatory framework will restore public confidence shaken by the melamine contamination scandal in 2008.
The China Food and Drug Administration has released a consultation draft of the changes, and the amended Food Safety Law will go into effect next month.
Consumers face a bewildering array of formula products, with about 2,000 different brands crowding the shelves. About half are manufactured overseas specifically for the mainland market.
The rest come from the 102 companies that have obtained permits to make infant formula, but again, the true number of manufacturers is much smaller, as many are subsidiaries of larger firms. It’s become nearly impossible for parents to discern which brands have a deserved reputation for quality.
A mother shows her son a vending machine that accepts credit cards and debit cards to sell canned infant formula at a local pharmacy in Beijing. Photo: EPA
Beijing hopes to make that decision easier. Companies will have to register the composition of a formula with the food administration. It will assess the nutritional value and ensure it poses no health risks before giving approval. Previously, manufacturers only had to make general filings about the ingredients.
Once the formula has been approved, the company will face a much narrower set of parameters in developing a family of products based on the recipe. The draft lays out two options for keeping the numbers down. Under the first, companies would be limited to selling a maximum of 15 brands. Under the second, they would have to prove a formula intended for a specific age was distinct enough to warrant separate branding. The compositions of the two must vary by at least six ingredients.
Food authorities believe the public are being dazzled by a proliferation of brands. Photo: Reuters
Wu Songhang, an official with Beijing’s Sanyuan Foods who oversees milk powder products, told the Beijing Times the chaotic market meant a company could produce tens of, or even hundreds of, formula brands.
Wu said small companies that relied on this technique would be weeded out under the new framework.
Labels will have to list the specific source of ingredients if they come from overseas. Misleading, vague language such as “imported milk source” or “originated from foreign branch” will be banned. Neither can labels imply the products can prevent disease, boost intelligence or carry an endorsement from consumer organisations, testing agencies or other social enterprises.
Dairy industry analyst Song Liang said the rules would benefit parents but cautioned imported formula should be covered under the new framework.
“The excessive number of brands has lowered overall consumer awareness,” Song said. “If the regulation excludes the imported brand it will only encourage more and more companies to move the production overseas and import products back to China,” Song said.
