According to Asia News, the Singapore Food Safety Authority has announced that it will lift import testing requirements for melamine in milk, dairy products, and products containing milk imported from China starting from November 1st.

The main body of the announcement states that the Singapore Food Safety Authority has reviewed the import requirements for milk and dairy products from China and will cancel the inspection and quarantine import requirements from November 1, 2023.

In 2008, the melamine milk incident in China sparked international attention. At that time, some unscrupulous merchants added melamine to milk powder to increase protein content in order to make profits. Due to the inability to metabolize melamine through normal channels, infants and young children who drank milk powder suffered from kidney disease.

Singapore subsequently stipulated that from December 18, 2008, milk products and products containing milk produced in China can be allowed to be imported into Singapore, provided that the following import conditions are met:

The product must be produced by an export agency approved by the Chinese government; Manufacturers need to test each batch of raw materials and final products to ensure they are not contaminated with melamine; The Chinese government must inspect and test each batch of products, along with a health certificate of melamine test results.

This incident has prompted China to strengthen quality monitoring and management measures for dairy products. The Chinese government has implemented a series of strict policies and procedures, from cow farming to the production, transportation, and sales of dairy products, all of which are monitored comprehensively to ensure the quality and safety of products.

Violating dairy production enterprises will face serious legal sanctions. Given the above measures, the Singapore Food Safety Authority has conducted in-depth review and evaluation and believes that the milk and dairy products imported from China have met the same safety standards as other countries.

Therefore, it has been decided to cancel the melamine related inspection requirements for Chinese milk and dairy products from November 1, 2023. However, the Singapore Food Safety Authority stated that they will still inspect milk and dairy products imported from China and require these products to comply with other import regulations.

This decision aims to balance the considerations between market openness and food safety. Consumers are increasingly paying attention to the quality and safety of food, and the competition in the milk market is becoming increasingly fierce. How Chinese milk products will establish themselves in this fiercely competitive market and whether they can win the trust of Singaporean consumers are all issues that need to be observed in the future.