New labeling rules for imported baby formula in China

Want China Times, Staff Reporter, 2014-04-03

A woman shops for infant formula at a Jinxiang Pharmacy branch
in Beijing, Oct. 26, 2013. (Photo/Xinhua)

Labeling information in Chinese characters for imported baby formula must be printed on packaging on arrival in China or it will not be allowed to enter the country starting April 1, the country's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has announced.

Products that don't have Chinese printed on their packaging or do not meet the labeling standards set by the Chinese authorities will henceforth be returned to the origin of shipment or destroyed.

New regulations on milk powder, considered the most severe of their kind in history, have taken effect.

Chen Fang, a dairy industry analyst, said some Chinese translation on stickers currently placed over the original labels is inaccurate and that stickers had ended up blocking important information printed in the original language.

Many vendors have taken advantage of this to deliberately tamper with the date of expiration on the products, Chen added.

Starting on May 1, 2014, new regulations will ban such imports from overseas brands of infant formula which are not registered in China. Formula which is due to expire less than three months after its arrival in China will not be allowed to enter.

Overseas milk powder brands are also required to be packed in the smaller packages for retailers before being imported, the new directions stipulate.

Noted overseas dairy brands, such as Nestle, Mead Johnson, Abbott and Dumex, started labeling their milk powder in Chinese on Wednesday. The labels include information on country of origin, ingredients, nutritional information, methods of storage, importer information and address of the production location.