Just back from a quick trip to China - launching an 8-product range of Ogni Organic Milk Powders out of New Zealand. The organic message is a powerful one and particularly welcome to a lot of Chinese consumers who are understandable wary of locally produced milk products. But seeing the increasing desire for milk products in a market that has not been a traditional consumer of dairy, makes me wonder about the long term health effects. At the same time, the massive rise in the use of infant formula is certainly linked to China’s rapid development and women in the work-force but also to the population’s mysterious desire for everything perceived as Western (and thus progressive).
I can’t but wonder how long it will take public health authorities to figure out that in their population’s helter-skelter embrace of infant formula, a much healthier, clean, green and FREE resource has been discarded. How long will it be before the tide turns ... for example, UAE has just passed legislation that requires women to breastfeed for two years, in South Africa, infant formula can only be purchased with a doctor’s prescription, in the USA women who breastfeed are given food coupons ...
Are the very recent Chinese government regulations, designed to reduce the number of IF brands on the market from thousands to a handful, a sign of something stronger to come? Time will tell...
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