China's milk powder imports are soaring, with imports in the first half of this year already exceeding the total amount of milk powder imported in 2009, an official with the China Chamber of Commerce of Foodstuffs and Native Produce said Sept 15.
Three of six foreign baby formula companies in China interviewed by the China's chief economic policymaking body said they do not have plans to raise prices, acquiescing to government efforts to control inflation.
"Top priority" is the expression President Hu Jintao used when referring to the quality of food testing during his visit to Tianjin municipality. It points directly to the root cause of the country's food safety problems.
Nestle China released an announcement on Tuesday, saying its products are "absolutely safe for consumption", in response to earlier reports that cast doubt on the company's infant foods and alleged they contained toxic metals.
The market for children's products in China will double within the next five years, a report released at a kids expo in east China's Zhejiang province has estimated.
China's milk imports from New Zealand have surged more than fivefold since 2008 as rising incomes stoked demand, sending prices to a record and bolstering the economy as it recovers from the deadliest earthquake in 80 years.
China is to cut import taxes on some products, including formula milk and cosmetics, as part of a series of reductions aimed at balancing international trade.
China imported a record volume of milk powder in 2010, blowing domestic milk powder producers and the whole industry chain out of the water, chinanew.com reported Tuesday, citing an official of the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA).
The country's top food-quality regulator on Thursday required all domestic dairy companies to renew their production licenses this year or face closure.