GACC issues consumer alert after Macao flags lead levels in Friso infant formula

The General Administration of Customs of China issued a consumer alert after Macao food safety authorities flagged a batch of Friso infant formula for lead levels exceeding local limits, while FrieslandCampina, the product's manufacturer, said subsequent third-party testing found the product compliant with Macao's food safety standards.

The Macao Department of Food Safety issued a food alert on July 25 concerning a batch of "Frisolac Prestige Stage 1" infant formula sold in the Macao market.

According to the Macao authority, testing showed lead content of 0.2 milligrams per kilogram, exceeding the local limit of less than 0.02 milligrams per kilogram for infant formula. The affected batch number is 1W07KPJ, with a production date of Sept 30, 2025, and an expiration date of Sept 30, 2027.

The same day, the GACC's Bureau of Import and Export Food Safety said it had taken note of the Macao alert and issued a consumer advisory. The regulator said no products from the affected batch had been found to have entered the Chinese mainland through general trade channels so far.

The bureau advised consumers to follow company announcements, check batch numbers of related products purchased through cross-border e-commerce, personal carriage, or overseas purchasing channels, and make rational purchasing decisions.

FrieslandCampina Food Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd said on July 25 that, after receiving notification from FrieslandCampina Hong Kong Limited, it commissioned an accredited third-party laboratory to retest samples from the same batch.

The company said the retest found lead content of less than 0.007 milligrams per kilogram, below Macao's regulatory limit of 0.02 milligrams per kilogram. It said the result showed that the product "does not exceed the standard and complies with Macao food safety standards".

FrieslandCampina said all Friso products undergo strict quality controls, including inspections conducted by the company and European authorities. It added that every batch formally imported into the mainland market undergoes full-item factory testing, with lead levels consistently reported as not detected — below 0.01 milligrams per kilogram — compared with the national food safety standard GB 2762-2022 limit of 0.08 milligrams per kilogram.