19 Dec, 2008 – Singapore has lifted its import ban on all Chinese milk and milk products, its food safety body has announced.
The Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said it had been working closely with its counterparts in China to facilitate the resumption of imports that were banned on 19 September following widespreadcontamination of milk products with melamine.
The AVA said it was satisfied control measures had now been put in place by Chinese authorities after its inspection team visited dairy farms, milk collection centres and food processing sites in the country.
The ban was lifted as of 18 December, 2008, under the following conditions:
* the products must be produced by establishments approved for export by the Chinese authorities.
* the manufacturers are required to test each batch of their raw materials and end products to ensure that they are not contaminated with melamine.
* the Chinese authorities must inspect and test each batch of the products and issue health certificates with results of melamine tests to accompany consignments exported to Singapore.
An AVA statement said: “AVA will continue to monitor the products imported into Singapore after the lifting of the suspension to ensure that they are not contaminated with melamine and are safe for consumption."