On May 15, 2020, NHC issued the Notice on the Issuance of Standard for the Use of Dairy Permeate Powder (interim), and launched the applicable standards for Dairy Permeate Powder, it specifies the scope of application, definition, and technical requirements, etc. Such products can be imported normally according to this standard and can be used in food processing.

The issuance of the applicable standard for “Dairy Permeate Powder” is a part of Trade Agreement between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the United States of America. And previously, on March 6, 2020, China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment solicited public opinions on the proposal of importing “Dairy Permeate Powder” as Imported Foods without Governing National Food Safety Standards.

The published standard (interim) stipulates that dairy permeate powder can be divided into whey-sourced and cow’s milk-sourced, is to be used only as food processing raw materials and no food additives are allowed. The statement of “Not suitable for direct consumption” and the source (whey-sourced or cow’s milk-sourced) should be marked on the labeling. The major components of “Dairy Permeate Powder” are lactose and milk minerals. It is widely used in various categories of food and beverage products (e.g. baked pastries, milk beverages and solid beverages, confectionaries, chocolates, soup and sauce, soft ice creams, etc.) in many counties, such as EU, the U.S., Australia, Korea and Japan.