Synlait Milk has secured approval from the Certification and Accreditation Administration to export infant formula to China.
The company will produce finished infant formula products that are to be supplied in China at its dry blending and consumer packaging plant in Canterbury, New Zealand.
Synlait Milk managing director John Penno said: "Being able to manufacture and export high quality finished infant formula products to China will help Synlait Milk deliver on its value added strategy, and provides an important confidence boost for our China business where we see significant opportunity for future earnings."
Synlait Milk has submitted the application for registration to the Chinese regulatory authority following the approval of its Risk Management Programme by the Ministry for Primary Industries for its dry blending and consumer packaging plant.
With a capacity to process 30,000 metric tonnes of milk annually, the plant features European equipment and a three-zone hygiene system.
It is capable of producing a range of can sizes such as 400g and 900g, and is designed for expansion into other packaging formats, such as sachets.
"Our dry blending and consumer packaging plant is a key part of our strategy. It was our intention to build the best plant of its type in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly in terms of operating efficiency and product quality standards, and feedback from our multinational customers who refer to the plant as 'next generation' affirms our goal."
