On May 27, Royal Friesland of the Netherlands, together with the China Dairy Industry Association and the China Healthcare International Exchange Promotion Association, released the "2021 China Dairy Merchants Index Report", showing that the Chinese dairy merchant index in 2021 was 62.7 points, the same as in 2020, and the public's dairy intake habits were significantly improved, but the milk drinking knowledge and milk drinking behavior were unqualified for four consecutive years. According to the survey, 74.2% of the public does not drink milk because "they have not developed the habit of drinking milk from an early age", and 97.5% of parents of young children hope that their children can maintain the habit of drinking milk for life. To this end, Friesland and all parties issued the "Convention on Healthy Life of Citizens", calling on the public to "wash their hands frequently, wear masks, love sports, and drink more milk" during the normalization of the epidemic prevention and control period to cultivate healthy living habits.
Song Kungang, director of the China Dairy Industry Association, believes that the 2021 China Dairy Merchants Index reflects the opportunities and challenges of the development of China's dairy industry, and there is still a gap between China's per capita dairy consumption and the world's dairy consumption. It is recommended to improve people's health literacy and nutrition by promoting the per capita consumption of dairy products in China.
The 2021 China Dairy Merchants Index was released.
The milk drinking behavior score failed for four consecutive years
In order to describe the current situation of milk drinking in Chinese, the project team took the lead in proposing the concept of "Milk Quotient" in China in 2018, measuring the performance level and structural characteristics of Chinese people in the dairy business in an exponential quantitative manner from the three dimensions of milk drinking awareness, milk drinking knowledge and milk drinking behavior. In 2021, the entire dairy index survey covered 20 cities across the country and 10 countries such as the Netherlands, the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Japan, focusing on the importance of adequate and diversified intake of dairy products to enhance immunity under the situation of normalized epidemic prevention and control.
The survey shows that from 2018 to 2021, the public's milk awareness score is above 80 points, while the score of milk drinking knowledge and milk drinking behavior has not been passed, and the milk merchant index still shows the characteristics of "high awareness, little knowledge and poor behavior".
Lai Jianqiang, deputy director of the Institute of Nutrition and Health of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, believes that China's milk drinking has a long history, is an important part of the daily diet, and has important value for improving immunity and maintaining health, and it is recommended to promote the new "food" of milk drinking, so that dairy products can "return" to the Chinese dietary collocation. At the same time, combined with the taste and physical characteristics of Chinese, it is recommended to "develop Chinese dairy products on the tip of the tongue" to make Chinese fall in love with the taste of milk.
In addition to increasing dairy intake at three meals, the report also shows that the consumption scenarios of dairy products are also increasingly diversified, and different scenarios have different preferences for dairy products, such as 61.6% of consumers will choose roasted dairy products at afternoon tea time, 64.5% of respondents will choose yogurt at social gatherings, and 43.1% of people will choose liquid milk to supplement nutrition during sports and fitness. In addition, dairy snacks such as milk dates and cheese sticks, as well as dairy drinks such as milk tea, also enrich the taste and choice of dairy products.
According to Yang Guochao, senior vice president of Royal Friesland China, Friesland has a history of 150 years, and is committed to dairy science in the Chinese market, while exploring the development of innovative products that are more suitable for the needs of Chinese consumers. "Friesland insists on conducting the dairy merchant index survey precisely in order to quickly gain insight into the changes in consumer demand, provide evidence for innovative research and development, and produce more good products that meet the needs of Chinese consumers."
Yang Guochao, Senior Vice President of Royal Friesland, delivered a speech.
There are misunderstandings in the cultivation of children's milk drinking habits
According to the survey, 74.2% of the public does not drink milk now because "they have not developed the habit of drinking milk from an early age", and 97.5% of parents of young children hope that their children can maintain the habit of drinking milk for life, highlighting the importance of establishing a good milking habit in childhood.
Chen Wei, executive director of the China Association for the Promotion of International Healthcare and deputy director of the Department of Clinical Nutrition of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, said that milk and dairy products are rich in high-quality protein, especially the lactoferrin in it can promote the absorption of iron in the intestine, and it is also a broad-spectrum antibacterial substance. Infant formula with high lactoferrin content plays a more positive role in improving infant immune function and improving immunity.
Studies have shown that children also have different needs and intake of dairy products at different stages of their development. Infants aged 7-9 months should drink no less than 600ml of milk per day, 600ml per day of 10-12 months of age; 500ml per day of 13-24 months of age, the type is mainly breast milk or formula milk powder, and a small amount of fresh milk, yogurt, cheese and so on can be introduced.
However, from the survey results, it can be seen that there are still many difficulties and misunderstandings among parents in the process of cultivating children's milk drinking habits. On average, children aged 0-3 years start supplementing breast milk or other dairy products other than formula from the age of 19 months, and the main reasons for not replenishing in time include thinking that dairy products are not as good as formula (64.7%), not knowing when to start eating (41.2%), and children not like to eat (29.4%). However, due to the impact of the epidemic, the awareness rate of parents of 0-3-year-old children on the role of lactoferrin in improving immunity has reached 53%, which is higher than the average.
On the other hand, dairy products will also play an important role in promoting the nutritional status of the elderly, but the dairy farmer's report shows that the elderly milk merchant index is declining year by year, and the importance of drinking milk is insufficient. Dou Pan, deputy director of the Department of Clinical Nutrition of Peking University First Hospital, suggested that dairy products contain rich and easily absorbed nutrients and calcium, which help reduce the probability of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and also play an important role in preventing osteoporosis and chronic diseases. The elderly should pay more attention to the full and diversified intake of dairy products.
It is understood that since entering the Chinese market, "one old and one small" health has always been the focus of Friesland's attention. Through a large number of science education work, Friesland not only goes deep into the community, but also carries out science popularization and free clinic activities around the elderly, and sends them understandable milk drinking knowledge. At the same time, Friesland insists on carrying out children's food education, combined with the characteristics of children's intellectual and behavioral development, through milk business songs, finger exercises, sitcoms, etc., so that children can learn milk knowledge in interaction, and help the whole family establish good milk drinking habits through children, thus benefiting for life.
Beijing News reporter Guo Tie Picture source Enterprise courtesy of the picture
Edited by Li Yan Proofread by Xue Jingning