Infant formula imports skyrocket since scandals

Domestic brands safe, but consumers remain wary; new regulations coming later this year

Imports of infant formula powder have more than tripled in the past five years after a series of food safety scandals involving domestically produced dairy products, according to China's top quality supervision authority.

China imported 176,000 metric tons of infant formula last year, more than tripling the 57,000 metric tons it imported in 2011, according to a report on the quality and safety of imported food in the past five years released by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine on Wednesday.