New Zealand's reputation for premium milk is once again under scrutiny by Chinese media. Despite efforts of the New Zealand government to reassure dairy consumers in the world's second largest economy that Kiwi milk and baby formula are safe, they seem to have fallen on deaf ears.

China's CCTV network in May 2013 broadcast several critical news stories of New Zealand and its baby formula. The network questioned the production standards of some milk brands in New Zealand.

This week, the China Daily newspaper has reported that imported brands of milk products account for almost two-thirds of the 744 complaints related to baby formula received by the China Consumers' Association. The complaints were made during the first half of 2013.

The Chinese newspaper did not specify the brands that received consumer complaints but New Zealand was mentioned several times in the article. China imports $2 billion worth of dairy products from New Zealand every year including infant formula worth $200 million.

The Chinese article used the story of Heitiki to illustrate a point. Heitiki claimed to be a top brand for baby formula in New Zealand only to be discovered in 2011 to be registered to Chinese businessmen. The brand was unknown to Kiwis.

China Consumers' Association legal head Qiu Baochang said some so-called foreign brands were not worthy of their name because they have inferior product quality despite the high price.

The China Daily also revealed quality issues related to baby formula included the presence of foreign objects like iron wire and worms inside milk cans. These make up almost 90 per cent of the complaints received by the Chinese consumer association.

In June 2013, the New Zealand government had announced plans of improving consumer confidence in China on the country's dairy products especially infant formula. One of the requirements for manufacturers was to register their brands with the Ministry for Primary Industries.

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