Vibalen accused of being a fake German formula brand

Vibalen milk powder has been accused in a media report of pretending to be a German product by only selling in Chinese market, though a lawyer told the Global Times Sunday the practice does not violate law.

According to the introduction on Vibalen's website, Vibalen milk powder is produced and sold in Germany.

However, Vibalen milk powder is not sold in German supermarkets such as Edeka or German online shops, 21st Century Business Herald newspaper reported Saturday.

The website of Germany's patent and trademark authority shows Vibalen was registered by a person called Li Shi Dong in Germany in June 2010, and a company called Delong Import and Export Co Ltd registered Vibalen in China in August 2010, the report said.

Based on this, the report implied that the brand was actually registered in Germany by a Chinese who then produced milk powder under that brand, and sold the products only in China.

Vibalen's products were sold in China at prices even higher than some real European milk powder brands, the report said, alleging that Vibalen is cheating Chinese consumers who prefer foreign milk powder after several quality scandals with domestic milk powder.

But Zhao Zhidong, a lawyer of S & P Law Firm, told the Global Times Sunday that if the brand is registered in Germany and its milk powder is made in Germany, it is legal for Vibalen to claim it is a German brand.

All certificates on Vibalen's website are for a company called Cremilk, the report said, noting it is a German factory that produces dairy products for other brands but does not have its own brand, the report said, noting Cremilk often acts as a private label manufacturer.

Yantai Kuger Import and Export Co Ltd, which is the distributor of Vibalen in China, could not be reached for comment over the weekend.