A Guangdong trade association is fuelling the safety controversy over OMP, an ingredient added to some Mengniu milk.
Zhao Hejuan, Caijing 19 February 2009
A dairy industry association has challenged the Chinese government’s recent conclusion of the safety of a milk additive in products sold by leading dairy producer Mengniu.
In early February, five government departments jointly launched an investigation into the use of osteoblast milk protein (OMP), an ingredient added to Mengniu’s upscale product Milk Deluxe. On February 13, the Ministry of Health said in a statement that, according to tests, OMP is safe to consume.
Nevertheless, regulators ordered Mengniu to halt use of the additive, which has yet to be listed as a legal food product in China.
However, the vice director of the Guangdong Dairy Industry Association, Wang Dingmian, said his group may sue the Ministry of Health over the dispute. He said no conclusion about the impact of OMP on human health has been proven globally, although research is under way.
“If the Ministry of Health issued an official document affirming the safety of OMP, our association would also issue a public statement in opposition,” Wang said. “And we may even sue the ministry.”
The ministry’s statement said OMP is a protein additive imported from New Zealand, and that Mengniu has added it to milk products since 2005 as a human health boost.
According to Mengniu, OMP has been widely used in a number of overseas markets including Europe, the United States and Japan. The additive has received safety certifications from the New Zealand Food Safety Authority as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
But OMP is seldom used in milk products overseas, Wang said. And the trade association has found no official approvals for OMP use in food products sold in the United States.
Meanwhile, Wang said his association previously asked Mengniu to provide OMP-related certificates, but the company refused.
Mengniu initially told the association it had developed OMP, but later admitted the material was imported via Shanghai Tongyuan Food Technology Co.
A Shanghai Tongyuan staff member told Caijing on February 17 the company had stopped supplying OMP to Mengniu, but refused to show certificates or documents confirming OMP imports.
A source close to the situation said the Shanghai supplier has stopped importing OMP but is still selling previously imported batches to Mengniu.
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Association, Regulators Spar Over Additive
A Guangdong trade association is fuelling the safety controversy over OMP, an ingredient added to some Mengniu milk.
Zhao Hejuan, Caijing
19 February 2009
A dairy industry association has challenged the Chinese government’s recent conclusion of the safety of a milk additive in products sold by leading dairy producer Mengniu.
In early February, five government departments jointly launched an investigation into the use of osteoblast milk protein (OMP), an ingredient added to Mengniu’s upscale product Milk Deluxe. On February 13, the Ministry of Health said in a statement that, according to tests, OMP is safe to consume.
Nevertheless, regulators ordered Mengniu to halt use of the additive, which has yet to be listed as a legal food product in China.
However, the vice director of the Guangdong Dairy Industry Association, Wang Dingmian, said his group may sue the Ministry of Health over the dispute. He said no conclusion about the impact of OMP on human health has been proven globally, although research is under way.
“If the Ministry of Health issued an official document affirming the safety of OMP, our association would also issue a public statement in opposition,” Wang said. “And we may even sue the ministry.”
The ministry’s statement said OMP is a protein additive imported from New Zealand, and that Mengniu has added it to milk products since 2005 as a human health boost.
According to Mengniu, OMP has been widely used in a number of overseas markets including Europe, the United States and Japan. The additive has received safety certifications from the New Zealand Food Safety Authority as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
But OMP is seldom used in milk products overseas, Wang said. And the trade association has found no official approvals for OMP use in food products sold in the United States.
Meanwhile, Wang said his association previously asked Mengniu to provide OMP-related certificates, but the company refused.
Mengniu initially told the association it had developed OMP, but later admitted the material was imported via Shanghai Tongyuan Food Technology Co.
A Shanghai Tongyuan staff member told Caijing on February 17 the company had stopped supplying OMP to Mengniu, but refused to show certificates or documents confirming OMP imports.
A source close to the situation said the Shanghai supplier has stopped importing OMP but is still selling previously imported batches to Mengniu.
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