August 6, 2014

Australian infant formula producer Tatura resumes exports to China
 

 

Victoria-based Tatura Milk Industries-Australia's largest domestically-owned infant milk formula producer -has received accreditation to export to the Chinese market and will start shipments this week for the first time in three months, reports ABC news.

This means their new blending and packing plant at Derrimut outside Melbourne is ready to meet a growing market. 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. Currently, it is back to just a few.

Before May, there were 3,000 brands of infant milk formula in the Chinese market. With the Chinese consumer's demand to be able to trace the milk they feed their babies, there are now only a handful of infant formula makers who can resume exporting to this growing market.

"China is growing at a compound growth rate of 10%, so it's a growing market," said Barry Irvin, chair of Tatura's parent company Bega Cheese.

Jan Carey of the Infant Nutrition Council said, "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."

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.