The China Melamine Milk Scandal and its Implications for Food Safety Regulation

Abstract

This article examines the development of the Chinese dairy sector since 2000 and investigates how this has affected food safety. The ongoing problems caused by melamine contamination are linked to the rapid and unregulated development of this sector. Currently, China is faced with demands – both from home and abroad – to improve its food safety record. This will imply upgrading its regulatory framework to meet the standards of Codex Alimentarius and the EU. This will, in turn, necessitate a serious restructuring of the dairy sector as well as of the public food safety control agencies. The costs and benefits to be accrued by these reforms are the subject of this article.

Keywords: Safety, Melamine, Dairy, China, EU Regulations