China reviews anti-dumping tariffs on food additives

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) on Monday launched a review of anti-dumping tariffs on certain food additives imported from Indonesia and Thailand after a Chinese firm claimed that the tariff rates were too low.

The MOC will reexamine the dumping margins of the products in response to an application from Star Lake Bioscience Co., Inc. Zhaoqing Guangdong. Last month the company requested a revision of the tariff rates based on calculations of the dumping margins in the past year, according to an MOC statement.

China started to impose five-year anti-dumping tariffs on certain nucleotides used as food additives imported from Indonesia and Thailand in September 2010.

The tariff rates on products imported from two Indonesian companies, PT. Cheil Jedang Indonesia and PT. Kirin Miwon Foods, were set at 6.3 percent and 6.9 percent, respectively. Tariff rates were set at 4.8 percent on products imported from Ajinomoto Co., (Thailand) Ltd.

Star Lake Bioscience told the MOC that those three companies had been dumping their products at margins above the tariff rates, according to Monday's statement.

The products subject to the anti-dumping tariffs include disodium 5'-inosinate, disodium 5'-guanylate and disodium 5'-ribonucleotide, which are also the main products of Star Lake Bioscience.

The additives are mainly used in monosodium glutamate, soy sauce and other condiments to enhance flavor.