In recent discussions, the Chinese Government informed the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA-FAS) of Chinese concerns regarding the heightened safety concerns of fluid milk and dairy products exported to China. Consequently, the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People’s Republic of China (CNCA) has reversed its prior decision to allow countries to register facilities producing these so-called “high-risk” products for export to China without first conducting an audit of these types of manufacturing plants. U.S. facilities currently on CNCA’s published list as eligible to ship “high-risk” products will be able to continue to ship only those products which appear on the published list. CNCA will not allow any additions or modifications to the “high-risk” product offerings of these existing facilities or add new facilities as eligible to export “high-risk” products to China until CNCA has completed a representative “systems” audit of “high-risk” facilities in the United States. USDEC is working with USDA-FAS to address Chinese concerns by pressing CNCA to conduct their required facility audits in January, 2015.

USDA-FAS has advised that this action on “high-risk” products should not affect CNCA’s still pending update of the existing plant list to include new facilities seeking approval to ship “low-risk” products (all dairy products other than fluid milk products).

As further details are available USDEC will communicate them to membership. In the meantime, please contact Matt McKnight (mmcknight@usdec.org) or Mitch Bowling (mbowling@usdec.org) at 703-528-3049 with any questions.