Lower dairy standard triggers debate

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It's been a year since China lowered its quality standards for dairy products following the notorious melamine scandal. Some industry heavyweights have accused China of having the lowest quality standards in the world. The statement has indeed triggered another round of debate.

"A stark disgrace of the global dairy industry.." That's how Wang Dingmian, chairman of Guangzhou Dairy Industry Association described the current Chinese standard for dairy products.

Under the standard, every one hundred grams of milk must contain at least 2.8 grams of protein, lower than the original standard set 25 years ago and the International one.

And the maximum amount of bacteria allowed in every milliliter of milk surged to 2 million from 500-thousand under the original standard. It's now 20 times the allowable amounts in the US and Europe.

Some industry heavyweights have accused China of having the lowest quality standards
in the world.

Consumers have had no qualms about expressing their concerns.

Despite widespread worry, some experts say the changes are reasonable.

Liu Yuman, researcher of Rural Development Institute, said, I believe the changes are proper. It goes along with our current situation within the industry.

According to Liu, 60 percent of the cows in China produce on a small scale, often with substandard equipment.

Liu says most dairy farmers woul! d go ban krupt if the country adhered to strict standard.

But this idea of ensuring economic profits at the expense of quality is refuted even within the industry itself.

Wang Dingmian says the current system is far from enough to ensure safety. But it is still adopted by the major industry giants whose products make up more than seventy percent of the market.

Crossover: How can government better supervise dairy production?
For more analysis on China's dairy safety standards, CCTV was joined on the line by Peter Ben Embarek, a food safety expert at the World Health Organization Office in China. Full Story>>

Backgrounder: Dairy industry scandal in China
Milk safety in China has been a big concern for many years. Scandals involving many big dairy groups have happened one after another since 2004. Full Story>>

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Editor:Shi Jierui |Source: CNTV.CN


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