July 6, 2012

India extends ban on China dairy imports

India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) will extend the ban on dairy imports from China till June 23, 2013.

The prohibition extends to the import of chocolates and chocolate products, candies, confectionaries, and any other food preparation with milk as an ingredient.

The first ban on Chinese milk and milk products was imposed by the DGFT in September 2008 after reports suggested that Chinese milk products contained an industrial chemical called melamine. The chemical damaged kidneys in the long run and formed stones. Chinese dairy farmers were using this chemical to increase their profit margins. First they diluted milk by 30% and in order to show good protein content, they added melamine which is rich in nitrogen. Usually, quality control equipment is designed to detect nitrogen and not melamine.

With doubts lingering about any improvement in the quality of milk from China, the prohibition was allowed to continue. The ban has been extended at least four times since 2008. The last extension of the ban was in effect from January 1 to June 24, 2012.

"Most of the chocolates were passed off as good by the quality control system after the equipment detected required nitrogen content in milk products," said a senior public health analyst at Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). "The food and drugs department will issue a notification in the wake of the DGFT order and then we will take action within AMC limits."