After “Sanlu milk powder incident” in 2008, China has strengthened the supervision and administration on food for infants and young children and further refined the supervision and administration and control measures in terms of production, circulation and import, etc.. This article gives a brief overview of the current status of supervision and administration of formula food for infants and young children.

According to the “Announcement of China Food and Drug Administration about the transitional period of the registration and administration of product formula of formula milk powder for infants and young children”, the formula milk powder for infants and young children produced in China or exported to China shall obtain the registration certificate of product formula of formula milk powder for infants and young children in accordance with the law, the label and specification of which shall indicate the registration number. The formula registration shall comply with “Administrative measures for the product formula registration of formula milk powder for infants and young children”. According to instructions relating to commodity remark in “List of the Cross-border E-commerce Retail imports” issued on the website of the Ministry of Finance, the enterprises shall obtain the formula registration certificate when importing formula milk powder for infants and young children through cross-border e-commerce retail since January 1, 2018.

Domestic manufacturers, after obtaining the formula registration certificate, can start the production only after obtaining the production license according to the “Administrative measures for food production license” and “Detailed rules for review of production license of formula milk powder for infants and young children” (2013 version). Overseas production enterprises can export formula food for infants and young children to China only after, in addition to obtaining the formula registration certificate, obtaining the CNCA registration in accordance with the “Provisions on the administration of registration of overseas enterprises producing imported food”.

On May 31, 2013, Premier Li Keqiang chaired the 10th executive meeting of the State Council, which discussed and laid out policies to further strengthen the quality and safety work of formula milk powder for infants and young children. Subsequently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and National Development and Reform Commission, etc., jointly issued the “Work plan for promoting the merging and reorganization of enterprises producing formula milk powder for infants and young children”.

In the sales process, China requires that all personnel engaged in production and trade of breast-milk substitutes as infant formula food, etc., shall comply with the “Administrative measures for the sales of breast-milk substitutes”. Furthermore, China initiates a pilot program to sell formula milk powder for infants and young children in drugstores according to the “Notice of China Food and Drug Administration about carrying out pilot program to sell formula milk powder for infants and young children in drugstores”.

With regard to standards on formula food for infants and young children, China has formulated product standards as GB 10765-2010 (the revision work thereof has already begun),  etc. and general standards as labeling and marking, food additives, pesticides, pollutants and mycotoxin, etc., including related standards on manufacture practice and test method, etc..

In recent years, in addition to releasing policy measures for the supervision and administration of formula food for infants and young children in terms of production license, formula registration, merging and reorganization and cross-border e-commerce, etc., the State also introduces supervision and administration measures for traceability system, quality control, daily supervision, advertising, labeling and marking, etc., of formula food for infants and young children.

With enhanced supervision and administration of formula food for infants and young children in China, enterprise producing formula food for infants and young children, especially foreign food enterprises, will face more compliance risks. Foodmate.net reminds enterprises to pay close attention to the changes of relevant laws and regulations in China to avoid risk. We will release a series of articles to introduce the general situation of regulatory standards and regulations on formula food for infants and young children in China, welcome for your attention.