Five New Zealand manufacturers have gotten the approval to export infant formula to China.
“These manufacturers represent around 90 percent of our infant formula exports to China by volume,” said Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye. “We appreciate the cooperative relationship with Chinese authorities in registering these New Zealand manufacturers. The new rules signal China’s desire for greater accountability for imported infant formula from all countries."
MPI is working with all manufacturers to ensure the new Overseas Market Access Requirement (OMAR), which sets the requirements needed to produce infant formula for export to China, is complied with.
“While the news is positive for manufacturers, for brand owners without a close relationship with the manufacturer the bar is going to be set high and some will struggle to meet the new rules. MPI has been working with industry and Chinese agencies to give brand owners greater clarity on what ‘closer association’ will mean and when this will apply,” Kaye said.
Exports of retail-ready infant formula have doubled in recent years and now represents about four pe cent of New Zealand’s dairy exports to China, or about USD200 million per year. The total dairy trade to China was USD5 billion last year.