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Division
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PO Box 7970
Madison, WI 53707-7970
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Vol.
8 #3, January 2009
Chinese Food Regulations
In an attempt to address scandals over contaminated milk and eggs, the
Chinese government announced a new series of food safety regulations on
November 20, 2008. The new rules address all aspects of the dairy
industry, from cow breeding and animal feed to the packaging and sales
of the milk.
Since September, when Chinese-made milk powder was found to be
adulterated with the industrial chemical melamine, at least six infants
who drank the formula have died and more than 300,000 children have
fallen ill. The scandal has led to recalls of milk products
across the world, embarrassed the Chinese government, and devastated
domestic dairy farmers and milk producers. The toxic additive,
which is high in nitrogen and can register as protein in many tests, is
still used by unscrupulous food processors trying to artificially boost
the apparent quality of animal feed or watered-down milk.
In announcing the new measures, the government said it would issue new
laws and standards by next October, and that by 2011, “the goal
is to have well-bred cows and a mass-producing dairy industry,”
according to Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency. The
government said it would also provide loans and grants to dairy farmers
and milk producers struggling to survive the crisis.
On December 5, 2008, the World Bank Heilongjiang Province Dairy Project
announced it will be accepting bids for milking equipment and feed
mixing equipment through January 20, 2009, at which time successful
bidders will be announced. The latest round of bids is part of
the U.S$200 million dairy renovation and expansion in Heilongjiang
Province, Wisconsin’s sister-state in China. The entire
project is scheduled for completion in 2011. For more information
contact Mr. Dan Vogel, Agricultural Marketing Consultant at the
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, dan.vogel@wisconsin.gov, (608) 224-5113.
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