New rule requires baby formula registration by October

All baby formula producers that sell baby formula on the Chinese mainland must have their formulas registered with the China Food and Drug Administration, according to a CFDA regulation that will take effect on Oct 1.

An enterprise can register up to nine formulas, according to the regulation released by CFDA today.

The regulation applies to both Chinese producers and those overseas that plan to export baby formula milk powder to the Chinese mainland, according to the regulation.

The regulation shows the government's determination to keep intensifying supervision on China's dairy industry, including baby formula producers, to improve the quality of the dairy products, Teng Jiacai, deputy head of the CFDA, said.

A big problem with China's baby formula industry is that many Chinese producers have too many formulas for marketing promotion, which result in potential quality risks and can cause confusion among consumers, he said. There are 103 enterprises producing baby formula in China and they hold nearly 2,000 formulas. In some cases, an enterprise can possess dozens of formulas at the same time, but many of the formulas are not developed after serious research and development, Zhang Jing, a CFDA official in charge of food supervision, said.

In contrast, many international baby formula producers only have one formula in production, he said.