ALMOST two months after a blanket ban on the sale of dairy products from China was imposed here, some items have been allowed to be sold as of today.

Within the next three weeks, all products that were ordered off the shelves will be made available, provided they pass final testing.

However, the move only applies to stocks of products which are already here - imports will still be disallowed, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) announced on Tuesday.

In deciding to progressively lift the ban, imposed on Sept 19, the AVA said it used a three-tier system to evaluate products. The system evaluates a product's risk of being tainted with melamine based on milk content.

Butter, ghee, and non-dairy creamers, which are considered low risk, will be allowed to be sold from today.

These are mostly used commercially by confectionery manufacturers or bakeries, and are not usually available for sale to the public.

Biscuits, breads, cakes, chocolates, candies, crackers and other confectioneries, deemed medium risk, will be allowed in two weeks.

Last on the list are high-risk items which contain large amounts of milk: Ice-cream, liquid milk, and milk and whey proteins. These can be expected on shelves in about three weeks' time, when final tests are completed.

Products made in China using milk from other countries will only be released for sale when importers submit proof of the sources of milk ingredients.

On fresh imports, the AVA said on Tuesday that it is still in talks with Chinese food safety authorities.

The AVA will send a team to China in a month's time to check that regulatory measures have been put in place. It is also awaiting a full account of China's investigations and improvements made to its food safety system.

Dr Chua Sin Bin, AVA's chief executive, declined to say exactly when the import ban would be lifted, but added that it would be 'soon'.

Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.