On April 8, 2020, NHC has issued an announcement on soliciting public opinions on National Food Safety Standard Milk Powder (Draft for Comments) and National Food Safety Standard Concentrated Dairy Products (Draft for Comments). Antion has compared the Drafts between the current visions, the major changes are as following:

GB 19644 National Food Safety Standard Milk Powder (Draft for Comments)

1. Draft has added new classifications for specialty milk powders, which includes yak milk powder, camel milk powder, donkey milk powder and horse milk powder. It will be conducive to the further development of the industry. In particular, there will be a clear implementation standard for imported specialty milk powders.

2. To prevent adulteration of products, milk powder and formulated milk powder should be derived from a single source of raw milk.

3. Draft has required that in addition to cow milk powder can be labeled as “milk powder”, milk powder derived from other dairy animals should be labeled with dairy animal species, such as “goat milk powder”.

4. Draft has revised indicators of milk powder, which includes sensory requirements, physical and chemical indicators, and microbiological indicators.

GB 13102 National Food Safety Standard Concentrated Dairy Products (Draft for Comments)

1. Draft has added the definition and requirements for concentrated milk for food industry, it’s defined as “it’s only derived from raw cow (goat) milk, defatted or not defatted, and it’s made by only removing part of water in the process of concentration, and it’s only used in the food industry.” In addition, the sensory requirements, physical and chemical indicators, and microbiological indicators of concentrated milk for food industry are clarified.

2. Draft has filled the gap of skimmed evaporated milk and part-skimmed evaporated milk products, the range of standard has been increased, which includes part-skimmed evaporated milk and skimmed evaporated milk products. The technical definition of “skimmed or non-skimmed” has been added, and sweet condensed milk, as the equivalent name of sweetened condensed milk, has been added in the Draft.

3. The revision is based on the requirements of Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), and combine with the characteristics of products in China, such indicators as fat, milk solid, and sucrose have been revised.

4. Draft has revised indicators, which includes sensory requirements and microbiological indicators.

The influence on industry development

The revisions of two categories of products have added products classifications (e.g. specialty milk powders and concentrated milk for food industry). On the one hand, it’s help for standardizing the healthy development of dairy industry. On the other hand, there will also be a legal basis for imported products. Drafts have revised some contents (e.g. sensory requirements, physical and chemical index, microbiological index and product labeling) on the basis of the industry situation and standards in foreign countries, make standards more normative and scientific, and also conducive to consumers reading and understanding, to avoid the adulteration and false propaganda.