Indian food safety regulators have extended a ban on products containing dairy from China, which was first imposed in response to China's 2008 melamine crisis.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India decided to extend the ban for a further 12 months, it revealed this week. The ban includes milk and milk products from China, including confectionery, candies and food preparations where milk or milk solids are used as an ingredient.
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In the minutes of the meeting to review the ban, the FSSAI said China needed to provide "credible information" to have the ban removed. The agency said that "no formal proposal" had been received for the lifting of the embargo by the FSSAI and "supporting safety parameters" have not been provided. As such, the safety of products containing Chinese dairy "could not be assumed"," the FSSAI concluded.
Rakesh Chandra Sharma, director of the FSSAI, said that the ban would be extended unless "credible evidence" was provided to support the safety of Chinese dairy.
The FSSAI is in the midst of a food safety clampdown, with a particular focus on packaged foods, in the wake of a scandal involving Nestle's Maggi brand noodles. The FSSAI claims that Maggi noodles contained excess levels of lead and MSG, accusations that Nestle denies.
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