As the domestic infant formula market shrinks, more and more milk powder manufacturers are placing their growth hopes on children's milk powder. However, the first financial reporter's investigation found that due to the vacancy of children's milk powder industry standards, the threshold is low, and the product homogenization competition is serious, many brands take the opportunity to rub the edge ball and flaunt concepts such as "growing tall", making the market more chaotic.
Milk powder that can "grow taller"?
On the e-commerce platform, searching for children's milk powder keywords will find that a large number of children's growth milk powder brands hope to be linked to "height" and "height". One type of milk powder brand is to make a fuss about product names or trademarks, such as some brands called long tall, high hips, double beibei high; there is also a type of milk powder brand that writes "farewell to short people", "drink tall", "grow tall, eye protection", etc. on the promotional pictures, or identify giraffes, height measurement meters and other elements on the product packaging. The price of these milk powders is mostly 200-300 yuan / can, which is almost equivalent to the price level of infant formula milk powder.
In the above-mentioned brand customer service words, there are also some "hints" of growing tall, such as the long tall customer service staff told reporters that the product is "formula milk powder that promotes high has a very good effect", and claims that customer feedback can be 3-5CM in 2-3 months, 6-8CM in 6 months. The customer service of another Shouguan food flagship store said that generally children aged 3-15 can grow 5-7cm a year, and drinking the children's growth milk powder it sells can exceed this value.
Not only online, offline channels in the main "long high" concept of children's milk powder is not a minority, Shandong milk powder distributor Ma Chen told the first financial reporter, the sales of children's milk powder in the past two years has gradually become hot, from the amount is very small to the current has accounted for 10% of its total business, but the local children's milk powder market competition is also very fierce, "basically are long tall (concept) relatively easy to sell." ”
For the reasons why milk powder can make children "grow taller", many milk powder brands have claimed that in addition to calcium supplementation, it also adds colostrum alkaline protein, and refers to the fact that colostrum alkaline protein can only extract four-tenths of 10,000ths from bovine colostrum, directly acting on bone growth; there is also an Australian child growth milk powder that said in promotional materials that "colostrum alkaline protein can coordinate the dynamic balance of osteoblasts and osteoclasts." "In the above milk powder, the amount of colostrum alkaline protein added in 100 grams of milk powder ranges from 20 mg to 50 mg.
However, the efficacy of colostrum alkaline proteins cannot be accurately described.
The reporter saw on the website of the National Health Commission that colostrum alkaline protein belongs to the new food raw materials, is based on bovine colostrum as raw material, through sterilization, skimming, centrifugal isolation, removal of casein, α- lactoalbumin, β - lactoglobulin, microfiltration, ultrafiltration, freeze drying and other processes and made, the amount of consumption shall not exceed 100 mg per day, but the official documents do not mention its functionality.
Li Liangqiu, executive vice president of the China Nutrition and Health Food Association, told the first financial reporter that there is no clear definition of alkaline protein in cow milk, there is no corresponding national standard, and it is not a health food raw material.
Zhong Kai, director of the Science and Technology Food and Nutrition Information Exchange Center, also said that the new food raw materials only mean that their safety has been audited and evaluated, and there is no necessary connection with whether they have functionality.
In the view of Xu Hao, a lawyer at Beijing Jingshi Law Firm, children's milk powder is an ordinary food, and it is not possible to use "grow tall, help height, scientifically manage height, and break through genetic height" to publicize health care efficacy. Some dairy companies advertise that eating children's milk powder can grow taller, but whether it helps to grow taller still needs scientific experimental evidence to prove. If it is only used as an ordinary food, but it claims to have a long-height function and contains false or misleading content, it is suspected of violating the Advertising Law of the People's Republic of China. According to Article 28 of the Advertising Law of the People's Republic of China, an advertisement that deceives or misleads consumers with false or misleading content constitutes false advertising.
The category of children's milk powder needs to be regulated urgently
In the industry's view, the reason why milk powder companies are willing to risk violating the law and also create concepts is also related to the embarrassment faced by the current children's milk powder industry. In 2021, the domestic new birth population was 10.62 million, compared with 18.83 million in 2016, about 40% less, and milk powder companies urgently need to find new performance growth points.
All along, milk powder enterprises pay more attention to middle-aged and elderly milk powder products, China's middle-aged and elderly population is large, that with the market education there will be growth dividends, but subject to the consumption concept and milk drinking habits of middle-aged and elderly consumers, most of the middle-aged and elderly milk powder products are not popular, and the market is growing slowly. Conversely, as an extension of infant formula, the actual growth rate of children's milk powder is faster. On the other hand, children's milk powder is not limited by the formula registration system and can be produced on a contract basis, so the operation of enterprises is convenient.
According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 500 children's milk powder products on the market, many of which are sold by milk powder companies.
Independent dairy analyst Song Liang told the first financial reporter that children's milk powder can digest the excess capacity of milk powder factories; it can also extend the consumption cycle of milk powder customers, extending customers from 0 to 3 years old to more than 3 years old, forming a new incremental market. However, at present, the children's milk powder market is indeed mixed, and some children's milk powder that is not worthy of the name has been exaggerated.
It is worth noting that compared with the strict formula registration system of infant formula milk powder, children's milk powder does not have corresponding standards and regulations, and homogeneous competition has also led to market chaos. For example, some children's milk powder products, in addition to claiming to "grow tall, improve immunity, eye protection" and other functions, also claim to add probiotics and other ingredients, but whether the additive can play a role, consumers have no way to judge.
In Li Liangqiu's view, children's milk powder is the embodiment of the diversified development of enterprises and the enrichment of the market, and can also meet the demands of market segmentation and precise consumption, but there is no specific legal definition and standard for children's milk powder, and what is currently followed is the national standard for the preparation of milk powder, which also leads to uneven products on the market and different scales.
The first financial reporter noted that the Infant Formula Food Industry Committee of the China Nutrition and Health Food Association has recently set up a project to carry out group standard discussion and development work on related fields such as children's milk powder, and now solicits members (units) of drafting groups (units) for member units on March 14.
Previously, there were voices in the market that children's milk powder was also registered and managed, but Li Liangqiu said that at present, it seems that the relevant departments of the state will not include children's milk powder in the registration system for the time being, so it is hoped that through the formulation of group standards, advocate industry self-discipline, promote high-quality development of the industry, and protect the rights and interests of consumers. At the same time, consumers are also reminded to consume rationally, reasonably understand the role of food nutrition, and do not blindly believe in absolute propaganda.