China's baby formula regulations 'extremely intense'

SYDNEY - An Australian company which has gained access to China's newly regulated infant formula market said the registration process was "extremely intense," local media reported on Friday.

Following a number of scandals, China now has strict measures for imported infant formula.

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Australian Dairy Park is one of two local companies to have gained registration and General Manager Ken Thomas said "it was extremely intense"to gain access to this major market.

"It was a very thorough audit, from traceability all the way through the system,"he told the ABC.

Thomas said it took three months to prepare for the audit before the company's product was approved on May 1.

"The actual audit itself was a fairly intense one-day audit. It was really three months of solid work before the audit," said Thomas.

"You have to show that you have hygiene standards that meet the Chinese requirements.

"A lot of infant formula manufacturers that have been around for a while may not meet those hygiene requirements."

He said one of the key requirements of the new Chinese regulations was traceability.

"You have to show that you have very, very robust quality systems in place and you have to show that there is a link between your manufacturer, the brand that you're packing and the importer in China as well, so you have full traceability," he said.