AQSIQ Requires Registration of Overseas Manufacturers of Dairy Products, Meat and Aquatic Products

On 28 April 2013, AQSIQ released announcement 62 about the Implementation Catalogue of Registration of Overseas Manufacturers of Imported Foods, which requires the foreign manufacturers of meat, aquatic products and dairy products to get registered with China CNCA prior to importation, according to the Provisions on the Administration of the Registration of Overseas Manufacturers of Imported Foods (AQSIQ Order 145 of 2012) and corresponding entry-exit regulations.

China consumes a large amount of imported dairy products every year but the inconsistent quality of those products has been a trouble for years. Last year, almost 140 ton of imported milk powder, half of which are for babies, were found to be unqualified with the problems of “beyond the expiration date” and “containing excessive nitrite, protein and even toxic chemicals”.

To deal with the afore-mentioned issues, the new rules for import and export of dairy products (see Chemlinked news on 4 Mar) just came into force since 1 May, which raises the trade barrier by clearly indicating the AQSIQ intends to impose source control to keep the safety of imported products through assessing the food supervision system and food safety state quo of the country of origin, requiring manufacturers to carry out the compulsory registration obligation, etc.

It is worth noting that, under the announcement 62, overseas manufacturers of dairy products need to fulfill the registration before 1 May 2014. List of registered companies will be published on the China CNCA’s website.