As revealed by the GAC Notice released on February 22, 2021, a total of 184 batches of food products were rejected by Chinese customs authorities in January, 2021.
A majority of rejected food products in January originated from Hong Kong (14.1%), followed by Japan (11.4%), Taiwan (10.3%), and the USA (10.3%). Grain products, dairy products, and aquatic products accounted for half of the rejected products. The top three non-compliant reasons were "excessive use of food additives/nutritional fortifiers", "failure to obtain quarantine access" and "unqualified labeling".
Dairy products
Compared with the data of December 2020, the number of non-compliant dairy products increased hugely from 2 batches to 28 batches. Non-compliant dairy products in January included 1 batch of organic casein, 1 batch of milk powder, 2 batches of liquid milk products, 12 batches of cheese, and 12 batches of whey protein powder. The milk powder for children from New Zealand was rejected for excessive use of food nutritional fortifier docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)*.
*Notes on the use of food nutritional fortifier DHA in milk powder for children:
According to GB 14880 The Use of Nutritional Fortification Substances in Foods, DHA can be used in modified milk powder for children with the amount ≤0.5％ (the percentage to total fatty acids). In addition to keeping the amount within the allowed range, manufactures should also ensure that the products follow the GB 19644 for milk powder. For more information on the use of DHA, check ChemLinked Food Additives Database.
Health Supplement
Three batches of health supplements from the USA, Germany, and Sweden failed for shelf life expiration. The products rejected were melatonin tablet, multi-vitamin B capsule, and iron supplement.
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