China has raised the market entry threshold for both domestic producers and importers of baby formula, a move aimed at ensuring safer products for babies in the country.

 

So far only 82 out of the total 133 baby formula producers in the country have passed the review of the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA), the agency announced on Friday.

 

Companies that have passed the review include a Tianjin branch of Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co, a Hebei branch of SanCNY Group and Beingmate Baby & Child Food Co.

 

Among the 51 companies that did not pass the review before the deadline, 23 have applied for an extension of the review deadline and 14 have chosen to produce raw materials for the sector instead. Five companies that failed to get the approval will have to halt production of baby formula and the remaining nine have applied to annul their production permit, the CFDA said.

 

Experts said that the government's move to raise standards for producers and to consolidate the industry will help restore consumer confidence.

 

Many parents have chosen to buy overseas produced baby formula after a contaminated milk powder scandal in 2008 that led to the deaths of six infants.

 

The entry bar for baby formula imports was also raised. China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) on Thursday announced a list of 94 baby formula brands that are qualified for imports.

 

Previously, the market had around 1,000 imported baby formula brands, according to experts. 

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