On Feb. 26, National Association of Health Industry and Enterprise Management, Chinese Nutrition Society, China Dairy Association, and China Dairy Industry Association jointly unveiled the “Direction for Dairy Products Consumption in China” (hereafter “Consumption Direction”) [1], which comprehensively introduces plans to increase national consumption of dairy products and details the nutritional benefits of dairy.
Five key directions are listed below:
Each person shall consume 300 g of liquid milk or other dairy products whose protein content is equivalent to that contained in 300 g of liquid milk per day
Consumers are advised to have more lactobacillus-fermented dairy products and/or dairy products containing probiotics
People with lactose intolerance are suggested to choose dairy products with zero or low lactose
Some special groups, such as pregnant women, children, and the aged, are advised to increase the intake of milk and dairy products.
Infant and young children shall be fed with breast milk, while infant formula food should be consumed in cases where breast milk is unavailable or insufficient.
The outbreak of novel Coronavirus at the beginning of 2020 has significantly impacted China’s food sector. However, Ipsos data indicates that sales of dairy increased 13% during the epidemic and is being attributed to consumer perceptions of dairy as being healthy and helping strengthen the immune system [2]. According to market research conducted by Data 100 [3], dairy sales (especially yogurt) and food that helps to improve immunity, will grow considerably.