Amman, May 15 – The Senate's Agriculture and Water Committee, headed by Senator Dr. Akef Al-Zoubi, held a meeting on Thursday to discuss measures to prohibit the use of powdered milk in the production of dairy products. The meeting was attended by Minister of Industry, Trade, and Supply Eng. Yarub Qudah, Director General of the Jordan Standards and Metrology Organization (JSMO) Eng. Abeer Al-Zuhair, and Chairman of the Dairy Farmers Association Coalition Eng. Laith Al-Hajj.
Senator Al-Zoubi stated that the meeting aimed to address the dairy industry, which is considered a strategic sector that supports and strengthens food security and the national economy. He emphasized the importance of the dairy farming sector as the primary source of milk production, which underpins the entire dairy industry.
For his part, Minister Qudah outlined the Ministry’s measures to prevent the use of powdered milk in locally marketed dairy products by banning the import of dairy goods that contain powdered milk.
He explained that a specialized committee—comprising representatives from the Ministries of Agriculture and Industry, Trade and Supply, as well as the Jordan Standards and Metrology Organization, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Jordan Customs Department—oversees and monitors the licensing and use of powdered milk.
The Senate committee recommended that the specialized committee adhere to and implement a production formula that defines permissible ratios of powdered milk in products where its use is allowed.
Committee members stressed the need for stricter enforcement of technical regulations and mandatory standards, and called for the inclusion of a representative from the cow milk production sector as an observer on the milk standards committee.
The committee also recommended reviewing the standard for milk blended with vegetable fat to determine whether international mandatory standards permit the re-importation of powdered milk separately from vegetable fat.