The New Zealand government Thursday issued new rules for labels on infant formula exports as it seeks to reassure China and other major markets of its food safety standards.

The labeling requirements issued by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) sets out specific criteria for describing an infant formula product as "Made in New Zealand" and for making any nutritional or health claims on the labels or suggestions that infant formula is superior to breast-feeding.

"It is the first of a set of technical regulatory changes that will be introduced progressively over the next six months to further strengthen our assurance system for exports of infant formula products," MPI deputy director-general Scott Gallacher said in a statement.

"Exporters will have 18 months to fully comply with the standard, but we expect that most exporters will already be making the necessary changes to labels, and of course must continue to meet importing country requirements."

The new standard did not apply to infant formula intended for the New Zealand or Australian markets, which had to comply with the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.

Food Safety Minister Jo Goodhew said currently all export dairy products only had to meet labeling requirements of the importing country, but infant formula was "a special product."

"These changes will ensure consumers have confidence that infant formula products labeled as 'Made in New Zealand' have been manufactured within our well regarded food safety system," Goodhew said in a statement.

The government set out a series of proposals in July to regulate on exporters of infant formula and all those who manufactured or processed, transported, packed or stored infant formula.

As well as the labeling requirements, they included full electronic traceability from each premise, and a requirement for all exporters to identify a party accountable for recall in the importing country.

The MPI began New Zealand's first ever register of infant formula brands in June last year, so that Chinese consumers and authorities could check that formulas carrying New Zealand labels were valid.

The register required companies exporting to China to have the specific brand name included on the export certificate.

Last year, New Zealand's infant formula exports were estimated at about 600 million NZ dollars (462.85 million U.S. dollars) a year, with approximately 170 million NZ dollars '(131.13 million U. S. dollars)worth of that going to China. Endi

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