The Chinese want to be able to trace the milk they feed their babies from the can back to the cow.
Now Australia’s largest domestically-owned infant milk formula producer, Tatura Milk Industries from Victoria, has received accreditation to get back into the Chinese market and will start shipments this week for the first time in three months.
There are only a handful of infant formula makers who can resume exporting to this growing market.
Barry Irvin, chair of Tatura’s parent company Bega Cheese, says the accreditation means infant milk formula associated with the company can start to flow back to China as of this week.
It means their new blending and packing plant at Derrimut outside Melbourne is ready to meet a growing market.
«China is growing at a compound growth rate of 10 per cent, so it’s a growing market,» Mr Irvin said.
«We’re very pleased to see they’re putting rigour into how infant formula is produced.»
The farmers supplying Tatura Milk Industries are in Central Victoria.
Tatura milk powder is also on sold to other packing companies, including Blend and Pack in Melbourne, which has also just received accreditation.
Before the suspension of trade with China, it had more than 100 labels of infant formula. It’s back to just a few.
Cindy Huang is director of the marketing company associated with Blend and Pack.
«We will be able to send into China, so my plan is to send a shipment next week.»
The Australian-based companies accredited by the Chinese include Murray Goulburn, two owned by Chinese investors, Australian Dairy Park, Viplus Dairy and now Tatura Milk, plus Australian-owned Blend and Pack.
«There were over 3,000 brands of infant milk formula in the Chinese market before May,» said Jan Carey of the Infant Nutrition Council.
«The Chinese Government did an audit of companies all around the world.
«Australia was one of the last countries to be audited and only those companies that got audited were considered for registration.
«This was different to what we originally thought, which was that of the Australian system, and if the system passed, then all the manufacturers would pass.
«So those companies that were not accredited first are working with the authorities in Beijing.»
There is a world health agreement that says countries must promote ‘breast as best’, and while China is a signatory, the authorities aren’t yet acting on it.
«Some of the marketing practices in China leave much to be desired in terms of promotion of breast feeding. But China is working on their own interpretation of the code,» Ms Carey said.
«But while they’re looking at tightening the supply chain integrity from the cow to the can, they’re also going to be tightening the way they market.»
Source: ABC
