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2025-10-14 | All chapters
Ensuring Market Access for Cream Produced Using Standard European Production Processes
Cream is one of the key dairy products imported from Europe. It is valued for its nutritional benefits and wide application in a variety of cuisines.
In 2021,the National Food Safety Standard Cream, Butter and Anhydrous Milk Fat (GB 19646) (Draft for Comments) wasreleased, whichposed challenges for overseas cream manufacturers. According to GB 19646, a common method of cream production in Europe and other regions would not be recognised, and many products previously classified as ‘cream’ under the previous standard would be re-labelled as ‘modified cream’. This would have potentially confused customers and influenced their purchasing decisions, resulting in substantial losses for companies from re-categorisation in the Chinese market. Companies would also suffer significant costs to revise product labels.
Since the preparation of the draft of GB 19646 in 2019, the Dairy Industry Desk has been actively working to help policymakers gain a better understanding of the actual production practices of European cream manufacturers and how these practices ensure product quality. This has involved consolidating industry recommendations, submitting them to policymakers, and engaging in multiple face-to-face meetings with officials. The ultimate goal has been to encourage the revision of GB 19646 and its supporting documents to recognise the common cream production practices used in Europe so that current cream products can remain categorised as ‘cream’ instead of ‘modified cream’.
Advocacy success
Following the release of the National Food Safety Standard Cream, Butter and Anhydrous Milk Fat (GB 19646-2025) in March 2025, the National Health Commission responded to the industry in July, clarifying that cream produced using common European production processes would be considered cream in addition to the definition set out in GB 19646-2025. All European companies can continue labelling their products as cream without being re-categorised and losing the important Chinese market.