Finland obtains for the first time a license to export infant formula to China

China has granted for the first time an export licence to establishments of a Finnish company that manufactures infant formula, announced the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on a press release.

The department considers this export licence to China as "a significant step forward in food trade between Finland and China". The licence was granted during the visit of Permanent Secretary Jaana Husu-Kallio in Beijing on 8 January 2019.

China offers an enormous market for infant formula. So far Finland has exported milk and whey to China, where these have been processed into infant formula. Now the products can be manufactured and packaged in Finland for retail to be sold directly to Chinese consumers. Of the dairy products Finland also exports butter and small volumes of cheeses to China.

"A significant milestone"

“This is a significant milestone in the history of Finnish food exports. Infant formulas are high value added products where the Finnish clean and safe raw material and production practices have the prominent role they truly deserve. The significant inputs by Prime Minister Sipilä’s Government to promote food exports are again producing a good result. Good prospects for exports also enable the processing sector to pay a higher price to primary producers”, says Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Jari Leppä.

Opening the export licences has been prepared as a collaborative effort by the export team of the Finnish Food Authority (until the end of 2018 the Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira).

The Chinese authorities have been provided with comprehensive analyses of the manufacture of infant formulas in Finland, and the authorities have visited Finland to inspect the establishments producing infant formulas to verify that they comply with the Chinese requirements.