China's Ministry of Health has promulgated 66 new rules on dairy products and a highlight of the new rules is that a ban on the use of melamine in dairy products has been formally enacted.
The 66 rules, which include 15 dairy product standards, two production criteria, and 49 testing methods, are intended to correct the repetition and contradictions found in the current regulations. The new rules are also said to be more scientific compared with the old ones.
The new rules have amendments on the regulations for baby food. They integrate the 11 previous standards into four new ones and these cover all the basic categories of baby food.
There are no stipulations on the use melamine in the new rules, which means the chemical is no longer allowed to be used in dairy products.
According to local media, major dairy products manufacturers including Yili, MeadJohnson, Sanyuan and Dumex have all expressed their concurrence with the change in the new food regulations.
