India has extended the ban on import of milk and milk products from China till 2013 over concerns of poor quality standards.
This ban affects chocolates, chocolate products, candies, confectionary, and food preparations with milk or milk solids as an ingredient.
The ban was extended after the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) advised the government to restrict milk products from China. The earlier ban had ended on 24 June.
India banned milk and milk products from China in September 2008 for the first time, after reports of deaths and illnesses in China due to the consumption of milk contaminated with melamine. The ban has been extended since then.
China has been struggling to control food safety violations, especially the milk industry, despite harsher punishments and new regulations to address the problem.
