Under the wave of consumption upgrading, the trend of refined feeding has gradually emerged, and the new generation of parents are more willing to pay for high-quality formulas. Focusing on the field of nutrition, DHA, bovine colostrum, probiotics, lactoferrin and other nutrients have received unprecedented attention. According to CBNData's "2020 Imported Maternal and Infant Consumption Trend White Paper", lactoferrin has become the fastest growing in the Tmall International Infant and Child Nutrition Subdivision category in 2020.
But what does not match this is that the chaos of misleading marketing of lactoferrin has been repeatedly prohibited. The Black Rhino Exposure Platform under Maternal and Infant Frontier received complaints from mother and baby shop owners: TLAMEE isolate whey protein modulated milk powder (Note: even lactoferrin modulated milk powder is not counted) externally declared that "there is 11,000mg of lactoferrin per 100g of the product", which is 110 times the upper limit of the national standard, and give the product a different name as "high-speed rail" (hereinafter referred to as "tirami high-speed rail"), is it illegal publicity?
In this regard, some insiders said after reading the ingredient list: "Stealing beams for columns is purely foolish."
Selling dog meat with sheep's head and using "whey protein" as "lactoferrin" is marketed
Public information shows that lactoferrin is an immune protein, which is particularly important for the growth and development of infants and young children. Therefore, this ingredient is favored by the new generation of parents in China and has become one of the important reference indicators when they buy milk powder and nutritional products. But because of this, there are a large number of products on the market that rub the edge ball and steal the concept, under the banner of "high content lactoferrin" to fool consumers.
More mother and baby shop owners posted such a blatant illegal advertisement in the circle of friends: "The eternal vane of the lactoferrin industry, have you ever seen such a cow's formula?" It's really coming, it's here with 11,000mg of lactoferrin, real lactoferrin! A true high-speed rail king..."
The protagonist of this advertisement is the "Tirami high-speed rail", but it should be noted that from the ingredient list of the product, the ingredients are "instant whole milk powder, instant skimmed milk powder, whey protein isolate powder, whole milk powder, galactose oligosaccharide, threoside sugar, L-ascorbic acid, taurine", and there is no addition of lactoferrin. No lactoferrin ingredients dare to clamor for "high-speed rail king"?
The author compared other brands on the market that focus on lactoferrin selling points, such as Altry, Bonnie, KIDS SMART, Didi Duck, New West, etc. In their product ingredient lists, lactoferrin is really in the ingredient list, even if it is not in the first place.
So the question is, how does tirami achieve the ingredient as high as 11,000mg/100g as written in its nutrition facts table without adding lactoferrin? Moreover, does the tirami high-speed rail really have such a high content of lactoferrin?
In fact, under the fine pickpocket, the brand's so-called "high-speed rail" is just playing a "stealing concept" routine, that is, selling "whey protein" as "lactoferrin", but you know, although the two are only one word apart, but there is an essential difference.
Public information shows that lactoferrin is mainly extracted from the colostrum secreted in dairy cows in the first 48 hours after calving, because the content of lactoferrin in milk after entering the normal milk period will become lower and lower. Whey protein is a protein extracted from milk, which may contain a trace amount of lactoferrin active ingredient, but after undergoing isolation, purification and other processes, the whey protein contained in it will be greatly depleted.
Previously, the relevant person in charge of Westland, the largest lactoferrin production plant in New Zealand, said in an interview with the media: "Ordinary whey protein concentrate does contain some lactoferrin, but the content is small and unstable. Ordinary imported whey protein has been extracted before it is dried, and even if it is not extracted, spray drying makes it inactive. Therefore, whey protein powder does not naturally contain lactoferrin, but needs to be added later. ”
It is understood that the isolated whey protein used by tirami is still whey protein obtained after further processing on the basis of whey protein concentrate. So it is conceivable that the whey protein, which has a "small and unstable" lactoferrin content, after further processing, how much effective active lactoferrin can be left? It's just a general in the box.
To this end, the author specially consulted a medical doctor who specializes in lactoferrin, who said with great certainty that the lactoferrin contained in whey protein isolate is basically minimal, and added that "if the product of tirami high-speed rail does not add lactoferrin, with whole milk powder, skimmed milk powder, and whey protein isolate, it is impossible to have such a high lactoferrin content." ”
Similarly, dairy expert Wang Dingmian also holds the same opinion, he said: "Lactoferrin and whey protein are two different concepts, milk in the lactoferrin content is very low, and mainly concentrated in colostrum and 50 days after childbirth, the colostrum of dairy cows on the first day of calves its lactoferrin content is about 1.3g / L, to the 50th day after childbirth will drop to 0.06g / L, which is reduced by 22 times, and the content in regular milk is more and more slight." The purpose of the company concerned in such a business promotion and publicity is nothing more than to confuse the public through the concept of confusion, attract consumers' attention and traffic, so as to attract people's attention to their products and expand sales. ”
Eliminate key ingredients, and the new product is actually a recipe downgrade?
In fact, as early as 2019, Tirami China General Distribution Ningbo Yingan International Trade Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "YingAn International") also went to court with consumers due to the high content of lactoferrin in the product, and from this lawsuit, it can be seen that the tirami lactoferrin series products operate routinely.
Tianyan's investigation shows that in 2019, YingAn International, as a defendant, was sued by consumers for product liability disputes, and the product involved was "tirami lactoferrin modulated milk powder".
According to the judgment document, the consumer, as the plaintiff, found that the baby was unwell during the process of giving the baby "tirami lactoferrin modulated milk powder". After inquiring about the information and consulting others, it was found that the amount of lactoferrin allowed to be added to the modulated milk was "≤1.0g/kg", while the amount of lactoferrin in the product involved contained 11 grams per 100 grams, equivalent to 110g/kg, which seriously exceeded 110 times the standard requirements.
In this regard, Tirami argued that the lactoferrin content of the products involved in the case included the nutritional content of lactoferrin and food nutrition enhancers included in the food raw materials, namely: (1) 0.1% of the product content as a nutritional enhancer added to the lactoferrin powder; (2) 10.9% of the product content, that is, 10.9g of lactoferrin as the nutritional content contained in the isolated whey protein raw materials themselves.
The Chinese label of the product in question indicates "net content: 60g (1g/bag *60 bags); ingredient list: whey protein concentrate powder, whey protein isolate powder, vegetable oil powder, whole milk powder, fructooligosaccharides, L-ascorbic acid, taurine acid, lactoferrin powder. ”
Although the time has passed for a long time, the product version has been updated, and it is impossible to confirm which product it is, but we can obtain two important information from the judgment documents: 1. Ying An International only proved that the lactoferrin added as a nutritional enhancer by the product involved in the case did not exceed the standard; 2. Ying An International did not prove whether the lactoferrin content in the product involved in the case was really advertised as much.
However, compared to the current tirami high-speed rail that continues this selling point, the formula has undergone a major change, in which the lactoferrin powder that can be used as a source of lactoferrin content has been eliminated, leaving only whey protein isolate. However, from the above experts, it is known that there is basically no lactoferrin in the isolate whey protein powder, so what reason does the tirami high-speed rail support the selling point of "11,000mg of lactoferrin per 100g of products"?
In addition, from the price point of view, the price of 1g * 60 bags / can of tirami whey protein powder is 658 yuan, which is far more than the average price of 500 yuan with lactoferrin as the selling point of similar products.
For the high price of lactoferrin, the unified caliber in the industry is: the extraction cost is high, only 1g of lactoferrin can be extracted per 14 kg of milk, and the process is also complicated. The scarcity of raw materials, coupled with the new national standard for food safety "Food Nutrition Enhancer Lactoferrin", stipulates that the purity requirements of lactoferrin have been increased from 90% to 95%, which has also led to the price of lactoferrin from the original price of 2000-3000 yuan / kg to tens of thousands of yuan / kg. With the passage of time and the improvement of technology, the price of lactoferrin has now returned to normal levels.
But you know, these are not the reasons for the high price of the tirami high-speed rail, because it does not add lactoferrin components at all, only the whey protein isolate is added, and according to the Alibaba purchase price, the food grade whey protein isolate powder is 110 yuan / kg - 140 yuan / kg. With a word difference, low-cost whey protein powder, to rub the high price of lactoferrin, I have to say that Tirami is really a good calculation.
Why is the addition of lactoferrin to formula milk powder "exceeding the standard"?
In summary, it can be seen that Tirami sells whey protein isolate as lactoferrin, which is actually "hanging sheep's head to sell dog meat", because the content of lactoferrin in whey protein isolate is almost nothing, but the channel that converts sales into the premise is still used as a selling point, which obviously misleads consumers and exaggerates marketing. However, if there is no guidance or indication from the brand side, how can there be such a uniform publicity in the channel?
In fact, the reason for this phenomenon is that under the rising demand for lactoferrin, consumers are pursuing "high content". However, it should be noted that lactoferrin is not the higher the better, the addition also needs to be appropriate, GB 14880-2012 food nutrition enhancer use standards stipulate: infant formula in the addition of lactoferrin is ≤1g/1kg, that is, 100mg/100g.
With the high-end trend of the milk powder market becoming more and more obvious, some formula milk powders have added the ingredient of lactoferrin, and some have even added high content and have been accused of exceeding the standard, including Royal Meso Su Jiaer, Mead Johnson Lan zhen, Youbo Cebassus and so on.
Among them, Mead Johnson Lanzhen said: 1 stage lactoferrin content 450mg/100g; 2 stage lactoferrin content 400mg/100g; 3-stage lactoferrin content 330mg/100g. If you look at the upper limit of 100mg/100g, it is obvious that Mead Johnson Lanzhen has exceeded the standard.
So if this is the case, why can Lanzhen still be sold in the market normally? On the one hand, the above-mentioned lactoferrin content may include whey protein concentrate, hydrolyzed whey protein, and whey protein isolate, but due to process problems, the "actual content" is actually not high; on the other hand, the amount of use specified in the above standards is limited to powdered products, and the use in liquid products needs to be converted according to the corresponding dilution multiples.
In 2013, the National Health and Family Planning Commission issued the "Announcement on Approving the Expansion of the Scope of Use of 8 Food Additives Such as Sodium Ascorbate (No. 11 of 2013)", which expanded the use of lactoferrin, that is, the maximum use of lactoferrin in infant formula food was 1g/L (in terms of ready-to-eat state, powdered products increased by the multiple of punching).
Taking Mead Johnson Lanzhen 3 as an example, the nutrition facts table shows that its lactoferrin is 330mg/100g. According to estimates, a level scoop of milk powder is about 10g and needs to be mixed with 47.5ml of water. If you are mixing 4 scoops of milk powder (40g), you need to mix it with 190ml of water, which is about 210ml of milk. Based on this calculation: 0.629g/L, so it did not exceed the standard.
However, this only applies to infant formula, and tirami, as a modulated milk powder, should also comply with the addition of lactoferrin per 100g of modulated milk powder not higher than 100mg.
"Since the state has formulated this lactoferrin addition standard, it has certain significance and basis. First of all, too much lactoferrin will overstimulate the immune system, easy to cause allergies; secondly, for children whose kidneys are not yet mature, excessive intake of nutrients also causes a burden on the liver and kidneys, and will even be damaged over time. Industry insiders said.
The pursuit of outlet, products lack core competitiveness
According to public information, TLAMEE is produced in Australia GMP Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., the total distributor in China is Ningbo Yingan International Trade Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Yingan International"), and the Tmall operator is Ningbo Jize International Trade Co., Ltd.
From the product matrix, in addition to whey protein isolate with lactoferrin as the selling point, tirami also has DHA, probiotics and vitamins. It can be said that Tirami has made the more popular nutritional products in recent years. But you know, for nutrition, it is not to win with more, but with "fine". Whether it is lactoferrin, DHA, or probiotics, it is a field with high technical content, because it is necessary to strengthen investment in research and development outside the manufacturing end to form more differentiated competitive advantages. Obviously, Tirami, who pursues the outlet and the new product formula "bright rise and dark fall", may not be aware of this.
In addition, after investigation, it was found that Tirami's products have exaggerated marketing in the channel.
For example: "Tirami algal oil DHA" is advertised to promote brain neurodevelopment, fetal brain and retinal development, improve visual sensitivity and observation, and reduce the chance of postpartum depression; "Tirami Audemars Piguet lactoferrin modulated milk powder" is advertised to improve immunity, reduce the number of colds and even shorten the course of the disease, can repair the tracheal damage caused by cough seriously, reduce the probability of tracheitis in children; "Tirami Baoli long-term milk powder" can promote bone growth, enhance physique, and enhance appetite. Improves the condition of malnutrition, improves sleep, enhances memory and immunity, enhances hemoglobin, calcium precipitation and absorption.
However, it is understood that these products are actually ordinary foods, not drugs or health products. At the same time, according to Article 17 of the Advertising Law of the People's Republic of China, except for advertisements for medical treatment, drugs and medical devices, it is forbidden to advertise any other advertisements involving disease treatment functions, and medical terms or terms that are easy to confuse the goods being marketed with drugs and medical devices shall not be used.
With the slow improvement of various subdivision industry standards, the reshuffle stage of good currency expelling bad money in the nutrition industry is slowly opening the curtain, and the marketing war has slowly turned to the "internal merit war". Under this, if the brand wants to develop in the long run, it cannot patronize the gimmick and do a good job of formula innovation in a down-to-earth manner in order to truly achieve a breakthrough.
As a segment of the complex nutrition industry, lactoferrin has not been regulated due to imperfect industry standards. For example, tirami, which confuses lactoferrin with whey protein isolate, is a kind of damage to the healthy competition in the industry.
As the market evolves, how far can Tirami, who speaks by gimmicks, go?