Frisolac Prestige infant formula Photo: VCG

The Macao Municipal Affairs Bureau announced on Saturday that one batch of infant formula under Dutch dairy company FrieslandCampina was found to contain lead exceeding the Macao food safety standard. The company said in a statement on Monday that all test results for lead on products officially imported into the Chinese mainland market showed "not detected."

According to the statement of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government, a sample of Frisolac Prestige Stage 1 (800 grams), batch code 1W07KPJ, was detected with lead exceeding the limit stipulated in Macao Administrative Regulation No.23/2018 Maximum Limits of Heavy Metal Contaminants in Food. 

A Macao government notice on Saturday said that the affected batch of infant formula had not been supplied to hospitals in the SAR. Authorities immediately asked relevant businesses to remove, recall and stop selling the batch, dispatched personnel to inspect the market to prevent the product from circulating, and stepped up sampling of infant formula on sale. No abnormalities have been found in other batches so far.

Also on Saturday, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department of the Hong Kong SAR urged the public not to consume the batch of powdered infant formula found with lead possibly exceeding permissible levels.

The CFS followed up immediately and contacted the importer, confirming in a preliminary investigation that the affected batch had been imported into Hong Kong. The importer tested two samples from the same batch and found them compliant with both Hong Kong and Macao standards, but has stopped sales and removed the product from shelves as a precaution. The CFS has instructed the importer to initiate a recall of the affected batch.

On Sunday, the Bureau of Import and Export Food Safety under China's General Administration of Customs issued a consumer alert over the infant formula in question, saying no affected products have been found entering the Chinese mainland through general trade channels so far. 

It urged consumers to closely follow company announcements and further developments, check any such products they may hold through cross-border e-commerce, personal carriage or overseas purchasing agents, and make safe, rational choices.

In a statement on Monday, the company said that it has conducted comprehensive pre-release testing on every batch of Friso products officially imported into the Chinese mainland market; all test results for lead showed "not detected" (<0.01 mg per kilogram, whereas the National Food Safety Standard GB 2762-2022 stipulates a limit of <0.08 mg per kilogram.)

Friso is FrieslandCampina's infant formula brand. FrieslandCampina's website shows that Royal FrieslandCampina was founded in 1871. The brand's import, sales and after-sales operations in the Chinese mainland are handled by FrieslandCampina Food Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd, according to media reports.