Dairy Groups Exporting to China Face New Requirements

China’s Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA) has recently clarified its requirements for the listing of dairy manufacturers eligible to export their products to China from the United States. In response to this clarification, the FDA is providing more detailed registration instructions for U.S. dairy manufacturers who wish to export their products to China and be included in the list.

In January 2014, the FDA published Guidance for Industry: Establishing and Maintaining a List of U.S. Milk Product Manufacturers/Processors with Interest in Exporting to China, which requested that manufacturers and processors provide a “list of products presently shipped to China and those intended to be shipped.” However, CNCA has clarified that manufacturers and processors should include with their registration request only those products currently being manufactured and able to be shipped to China. Therefore, FDA is asking processors and manufacturers to amend or confirm their product lists to include only those products currently being manufactured/processed and able to be shipped to China.

CNCA has also clarified that only products listed under particular product names will be accepted. Manufacturers and processors should ensure that the products on their lists correspond exactly with official CNCA product names.

All U.S. manufacturers and processors who wish to export dairy products to China and be included in the list should provide their revised information to Ms. Esther Lazar (esther.lazar@fda.hhs.gov) of FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition no later than November 2, 2015. Manufacturers and processors that fail to reply by this date may jeopardize their firm’s registration with China’s CNCA.

For More Information, see Guidance for Industry: Establishing and Maintaining a List of U.S. Milk Product Manufacturers/Processors with Interest in Exporting to China