China has banned meat and milk products from Japan and travellers have been advised not to bring such items into the country, following a ban due to the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, authorities said.

China stopped importing milk powder, milk, beef and cattle-related products from Japan at the end of April 2010, since the start of the outbreak in the Japanese prefecture of Miyazaki April 20.

China’s quality watchdog – General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (GAQSIQ) – and the ministry of agriculture issued the ban to prevent the disease from spreading to animals in China, but not due to food safety, the Guangzhou Daily reported Thursday quoting officials.

Though the foot-and-mouth disease cannot spread to humans, buying milk powder imported from Japan is forbidden, an official of the Guangdong Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau said.

He, however, said Japanese milk powder, which were imported before the outbreak, were still available in the market and can be purchased. The Siasat Daily