A report by Antion China, a Beijing-based food industry consultancy, indicated that 60 or 4.2% of 1422 batches of milk samples tested in 2015 failed to comply with National Food Safety Standard (GB) or Quality/Safety Licensing Standard (QS).
The report assessed dairy food safety compliance using official data from China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA), General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) and China Customs.
While 16 of the 60 batches posed food safety risk, accounting for 1.2% of the total samples tested, 1362 batches were tested safe, representing 95.8% of the total.
When it comes to dairy companies involved in substandard baby formula products, nine out of 17 specialise in sheep and goat milk production, which were reported to have had a series of food safety issues based on a CFDA audit at the end of last year.
A request by the CFDA has urged food and drug administrative bodies to re-examine the 17 businesses that have been required to carry out improvements. The findings are to be released before March 15.
In addition, the report noted that a total of 24 food standards relating to baby formula production were put into effect in the Year of the Goat, of which 21 are national standards. During the same period, 41 food regulations were enacted, of which 14 by CFDA, eight by AQSIQ, five by State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) and five others by the General Customs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, National People’s Congress and State Council.
Despite the increase in food regulations, industry insiders called on baby formula businesses to have a sense of responsibility from the inside out, to assist the momentum boosting growth in the sector.
The booming demand for sheep and goat milk powder in recent years has triggered investment in additional product lines by some domestic manufacturers such as Shengyuan and Feihe.
