increase font size
NEW ZEALAND infant formula exports to China face growing scrutiny.
MPI is investigating whether proper procedures for such products are being followed. And the marketing tactics of some importers in China are causing concern for authorities and exporters here.
Auckland supermarkets were caught last year selling baby milk formula to Chinese exporters thousands of cans at a time while rationing them to other shoppers. This bulk trade was unknown to export authorities at the time.
An MPI spokesman told Dairy News it has been investigating infant formula exports to China for some time but will not comment further until the investigations are over.
A premium has attached in China to New Zealand-made dairy products since the melamine tainted-milk scandal in 2008, when six children died and nearly 1000 were hospitalised after melamine was added to formula supposedly to increase protein content.
A growing number of New Zealand companies export own-brand formula to China but the product is sourced from only a few processors here. GMP Pharmaceuticals, Auckland, recently opened a factory supplying about 20 exporters.
One GMP customer, Cowala, used a picture of Prime Minister John Key to advertise its product. The picture was taken at GMP’s factory opening.
Another exporter, Abid, used a picture of the Prime Minister, mispelling his name as ‘Jhon Key’ next to a quote ‘I Love abid’.
GMP New Zealand manager Minesh Patel says the company is not marketing or selling infant formula. “We have written to all customers saying do not use any of our plant opening photos without our permission,” he told Dairy News.
The Infant Nutrition Council, representing most Australian and New Zealand infant formula exporters, knows of widespread concern among members.
Chief executive Jan Carey says New Zealand milk and ‘brand NZ’ are highly prized by Chinese consumers.
“The New Zealand brand is trusted and considered best quality. Some Chinese marketers will use any marketing trick to promote their ‘NZ brand’ whether genuine or not. This is a widespread problem. The Infant Nutrition Council, the New Zealand government and the Chinese government are all aware of this.”
Carey says it is helping in MPI’s investigation. Though infant formula trade from New Zealand is properly regulated, “some middle men are getting around the regulations”.
One of the most galling aspects of the tariffs whacked on our farm exports to the US is the fact that, now more than ever, US farmers are being propped up by government welfare – a direct result of Trump’s hardline on its trading partners.
Relationships are key to opening new trading opportunities and dealing with some of the rules that countries impose that impede the free flow of trade.
China looks set to play a key role in helping the New Zealand wool sector shift away from trading as a commodity supplier.
If you find a new consumer in a developed wine market, you are taking them from someone else, says Blank Canvas co-founder Sophie Parker-Thomson MW.
The large 2025 harvest will exacerbate the wine industry's "lingering" supply from recent vintages, New Zealand Winegrowers Chief Executive Philip Gregan told attendees at Grape Days events around the country in June.
According to ASB, Fonterra's plan to sell it's Anchor and Mainlands brands could inject $4.5 billion in additional spending into the economy.
New Zealand’s trade with the European Union has jumped $2 billion since a free trade deal entered into force in May last year.
The climate of uncertainty and market fragmentation that currently characterises the global economy suggests that many of the European agricultural machinery manufacturers will be looking for new markets.
Dignitaries from all walks of life – the governor general, politicians past and present, Maoridom- including the Maori Queen, church leaders, the primary sector and family and friends packed Our Lady of Kapiti’s Catholic church in Paraparaumu on Thursday October 23 to pay tribute to former prime Minister, Jim Bolger who died last week.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister, Todd McClay is encouraging farmers, growers, and foresters not to take unnecessary risks, asking that they heed weather warnings today.
With nearly two million underutilised dairy calves born annually and the beef price outlook strong, New Zealand’s opportunity to build a scalable dairy-beef system is now.
OPINION: Voting is underway for Fonterra’s divestment proposal, with shareholders deciding whether or not sell its consumer brands business.
OPINION: Politicians and Wellington bureaucrats should take a leaf out of the book of Canterbury District Police Commander Superintendent Tony Hill.
