May 15, 2013
Translated by Liu Jingyue

Some brands of infant milk formula being sold in China are falsely claiming to be foreign brands or imported products, according to a series of reports aired on China's state broadcaster yesterday.

In recent years many Chinese consumers have stopped buying domestically produced or branded baby formula, a trend linked to the Sanlu baby formula scandal and ongoing concerns about the milk quality standards in China.

According to the CCTV reports, some Chinese companies are taking advantage or regulatory loop holes to fool customers into thinking that their products are produced abroad and thus profit from the popularity of foreign milk formula brands.

Journalists from CCTV's News Channel investigated one brand of milk formula call Newbaybay that claims to be from New Zealand. They contacted the company's representatives in Beijing, searched in vain for it on the shelves of New Zealand supermarkets and attempted to visit the address in New Zealand provided on the packaging.

In another report, a journalist typed in "New Zealand trademark registration" (新西兰商标注册) into an internet search engine and came up with nearly three million results. Following one of the links provided, the journalist was able to get in touch with a Mr. Wang who works at a trademark agency located near Beijing's Third Western Ring Road.  

Mr Wang told the journalist that milk formula manufacturers in China could register a New Zealand trademark for as little as 5,100 yuan, though companies that took this route would not be able to write "Produced in New Zealand" on their products.

A second option is to register a company in New Zealand and then register a new trademark for that company. Mr Wang explained that this route would cost a company about 10,000 yuan.

Mr Wang told CCTV that most people choose the second option. He added that the fastest way is to register a leather bag company, as it only takes about a month to complete the registration.

When being asked whether the New Zealand government would intervene, Mr. Wang said "as long as you don't sell milk formula to the locals, they'll do nothing to get in the way."

Links and Sources
CCTV: 聚焦洋奶粉乱象 专家：代工危害食品安全
CCTV: 记者调查：洋奶粉乱象 限购导致奶粉涨价 进口奶粉数量仍增三成
Beijing Times: 5100元即可变出洋奶粉