China bans artificial flavours in baby food

BEIJING - China has banned artificial edible flavours in certain foodstuff, including baby food and dairy products.

In a law passed Monday, China’s ministry of health prohibited the use of artificial flavours in food such as milk, cream, vegetable and animal fat, baby food and bottled water, China Daily reported Tuesday.

The regulation also requires manufacturers to identify and name the flavours on food labels, so that consumers are not misled.

Food safety has long been a concern in China, as several scandals linked to food safety have been exposed in recent years.

In the 2008 “milk scandal”, milk laced with melamine led to the death of at least six infants and over 300,000 others fell ill in Hebei province.