China authorities give green light to 217 batches of infant formula after testing

China’s Food and Drug Administration has announced it tested the ingredients of 217 batches of infant formula in June, and that no unqualified samples were found.

Officials tested for 63 indicators, such as protein, fat, DHA and EPA, and carbohydrates, with no anomalies uncovered.

The testing mainly includes milk-based baby and infant formula food, soybean-based baby and infant formula, and soy-based infant formula food.

New infant formula laws in China have been introduced to restrict the number of products lines both local and international manufacturers can produce.

Products are also subject to formula registration, whether produced in China or imported into the country, and recipes must be pre-registered with and approved by the CFDA.

Meanwhile labelling requirements have been tightened to ensure the country of origin is stated and restricting the use of general terms such as ‘imported milk source’.

China is the world’s biggest infant formula market, with sales worth US$20bn.