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Dairy giant's milk tests safe

"WE can breathe a sigh of relief now," said Yang Wenjun, vice-president of Mengniu Dairy, after the government declared the company's milk safe to drink.

The Ministry of Health said milk with the additive osteoblast milk protein (OMP) is "not harmful to human health" in an online statement posted on Friday.

The country's top quality regulator ordered Mengniu on February 2 to stop production of Milk Deluxe, its product containing OMP because it wanted to conduct tests to make sure the additive was safe.

OMP is imported from New Zealand via a Shanghai-based food technology company and has safety certification from the New Zealand Food Safety Authority, the ministry said.

However, Mengniu used it in dairy production without government permission and could still face prosecution, according to the statement.

The Mengniu group described the additive as a "common food material."

The group claims it is used in overseas markets and said it had been used in milk products in Japan, the United States, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan.

After China launched its investigation into the use of the additive, the company stopped using it and said it would apply for state approval. "We will not call back products already sold on market as it's not a quality issue," said Yang.

Mengniu, a major dairy producer in China, started production of Milk Deluxe with OMP in 2005.Its marketing claimed the additive helped improve health.

OMP is not yet listed as a legal food material under current food safety law and needs state approval for import and application, the ministry said.





 

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