On May 9, the China Inspection and Quarantine (CIQ) office in Shanghai issued guidance on what must be tested for in “first time” shipments entering through the Shanghai CIQ. In the guidance from the Shanghai CIQ, USDEC learned two new important pieces of information:

1. LEAD IS NOT REQUIRED TO BE TESTED FOR IN CHEESE PRODUCTS. In the guidance issued by Shanghai CIQ on May 9, lead was listed as a contaminant that was required to be tested for in “first time” shipments of cheese. This guidance contradicted what USDEC had been told by AQSIQ in Beijing, and USDEC’s China office contacted the director of Shanghai CIQ and he confirmed lead is not required to be tested for in “first time” shipments for cheese. USDEC has alerted the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) in Beijing of this development and has asked FAS to request that AQSIQ provide clear guidance to all CIQ stations.
2. A lead test is not required for demineralized whey or whey protein powders with a protein level greater than 25%.

Updated tables of required tests for “first time” shipments for each category of dairy products can be found by accessing USDEC’s May 3 Member Alert.

USDEC continues to monitor this situation and will update our membership with any updates we receive.  If you have any questions, please call Matt McKnight (mmcknight@usdec.org) or Mitch Bowling (mbowling@usdec.org) at 703-528-3049.