From the 1 May 2013 to 1 May 2014, China AQSIQ and CNCA have been extremely busy working on auditing overseas and domestic dairy manufacturers requiring registration. A significant portion of this work was finally put to one side when CNCA released the list of registered foreign infant formula manufacturers and other dairy producers on the night before the May 1st deadline ( CL Food Portal News on 1 May).
Flying largely under the radar, China’s Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) has also been simultaneously examining the 128 domestic infant formula manufacturers (CL Food Portal News on 8 Aug 2013) according to new Detailed Rules for Examination on Production Licensing of Baby Formula (CL Food Portal News on 27 Dec 2013) updated by CFDA on 16 Dec last year . These rules greatly increased the regulatory requirements for domestic baby formula manufacturers. In line with the publication of these rules the CFDA initiated a national scheme examining every factory according to upgraded requirements. Enterprises that fail to comply with these new rules and cannot feasibly upgrade their facilities and standards will be forced to close. It is estimated that almost half of the existing infant formula manufacturers cannot satisfy the new standards.
According to the CFDA, the deadline for the national audit campaign is 31 May 2014, after which a new list of Chinese infant formula manufacturers and their product catalogues will be released to the public. Both the domestic and overseas audit of manufacturers reflects the Chinese government’s prioritization of infant formula safety and its goal of laying the ghosts of past scandals to rest.
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