TOPIC

Baby formula

Baby formula
Baby, or infant, formula is a manufactured food for babies often used as a substitute for breast milk. It is a powder or liquid concentrate that is mixed with water and fed through a bottle. It is widely used in Asia, which represents 53% of the global market share. In Hong Kong, a shortage in availability of baby formula led to restrictions on how much could be taken out of the city and into mainland China.
last updated:
2 October, 2024
Senior citizens enjoyed coffee at a rehabilitation facility in Tianjin in 2023. Photo: Xinhua
China

All that silver is turning into gold in China’s ageing society

Companies are shifting their focus to capitalise on opportunities presented by China’s ageing population. For some, the strategic pivot is starting to pay off.

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China society

Opinion | China food safety: consumer vigilance can’t make up for weak regulation

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Hong Kong

Editorial | Hong Kong breast milk bank is best for everyone

Indonesia

Are Chinese-made skincare brands downplaying their origins to appeal to Muslims?

Consumers in Indonesia and Malaysia expressed concerns about whether the Chinese-made products meet halal certification standards

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Skintific uses local brand ambassadors like actor Nicholas Saputra in Indonesia. Photo: Aisyah Llewellyn
Australia

Daigou: Australia’s Chinese personal shoppers rebrand to stay relevant

Daigou, or personal shoppers for mainland Chinese consumers, used to account for billions of dollars of products sold by Australian businesses.

China society

Opinion | China wants to raise birth rate, but has missed new mothers’ every need

China has been taking measures to encourage couples to have children, offering incentives ranging from cash to homebuyer subsidies. However, there is not enough information on what to expect and how to raise a child, not much community help and the ‘birth reward’ doesn’t go very far.

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Hong Kong

Opinion | Hong Kong must do much more so working mums can keep breastfeeding

Even in the government-funded Cyberport, there is not a single nursing room. From maternity, paternity and childcare leave, to workplace support, Hong Kong must realise it takes all of society to raise a breastfed child.

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Close to 80 per cent of women in Hong Kong start out breastfeeding but, after a year, less than a quarter still do. Photo: Shutterstock
Coronavirus Hong Kong

Opinion | Don’t let old mainland frictions haunt Hong Kong’s new normal

Unhappiness about painkillers being sent to the mainland amid a local shortage and mainlanders looking for vaccines in Hong Kong risk raising cross-border distrust. The government must defuse these tensions quickly.

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China food safety

Chinese food firm Maiquer under investigation over milk additive

Market regulator says food solvent propylene glycol was found in batches of milk in Zhejiang.

United States

US baby milk formula flight from Europe

A flight from Switzerland will arrive in Indianapolis on Sunday with132 pallets of Nestlé baby formula; the first load is expected to provide as many as 1.5 million bottles.

A first air shipment of baby milk formula will be delivered to the US on Sunday under an emergency programme. Photo: Shutterstock
United States

Dangerous DIY baby milk formula recipes in US go viral

Solutions to the national shortage are being sought on the internet, but medical experts say home-made versions come with serious health risks; Facebook, TikTok and YouTube have been inconsistent in dealing with the issue.

Social media posts containing dangerous misinformation about home-made formula recipes have gone viral online as the United States faces a shortage. Photo: Zuma
Ukraine

Biden signs US$40 billion bill for Ukraine assistance during Asia trip

The funding is intended to support Ukraine through September, and it dwarfs an earlier emergency measure that provided US$13.6 billion in assistance.

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Joe Biden

America’s baby formula shortage is a new headache for the White House

The White House raced to show it’s trying to ease a national baby milk formula shortage that has left frantic parents scouring store shelves to feed their children.

China economy

Got milk? China’s health-conscious consumers push imports to ‘major milestones’

The average consumer in China drank five times as much milk last year than in 2012, as liquid milk sales from New Zealand, the European Union and Australia boomed last year.

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China’s strong demand for overseas-made infant formula started in 2008 after the so-called melamine scandal, when 300,000 children were poisoned after drinking contaminated products. Photo: Bloomberg
China society

Steroid cream used to treat baby’s eczema gives her hairy cheeks

Parents in China who used a cream for their baby’s eczema were horrified to see her develop a protruding, hairy forehead and cheeks and her weight shoot up. A test showed the cream contained a powerful steroid.

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A steroid cream has been pulled from shelves in China after it caused a baby to develop a protruding, hairy forehead and cheeks and her weight to balloon.
China food safety

Chinese start-up builds trust in organic foods with blockchain

OrgHive is helping companies market their organic food products to Chinese consumers by building their trust in these brands.

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Mergers & Acquisitions

China’s baby milk giant offers US$400 million to take over supplier

China Feihe has bought fresh milk from YuanShengTai to produce its baby milk formula products since 2010, and now is offering to buy all shares of the farming company.

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Consumer protection in Hong Kong

Nutritional value in some baby milk formulas overstated: watchdog

Consumer Council finds discrepancies in six of 15 samples reviewed, but manufacturers say this is down to different tests and standards.

The Consumer Council says six of 15 types of pre-packaged infant formula products reviewed had discrepancies exceeding local food labelling guidelines.
Crime in China

Chinese doctor fired for telling parents to give babies protein drink

Hospital in Guangdong province says none of the babies given the over-the-counter product have shown any ill effects so far.

China economy

Questions over China protein milk powder imports from Australia, New Zealand

Chinese demand for lactoferrin and whey powder products from Australia and New Zealand has increased dramatically since the coronavirus outbreak.

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China food safety

China investigates claims babies sickened by fake milk formula

At least five children reportedly developed swollen heads after being fed a protein drink allegedly sold as suitable for babies.

Parents of five children claim they were told a protein drink was suitable for their young children. Photo: Weibo
Coronavirus pandemic

Opinion | Look to blockchain, not brands, to indicate product safety and quality

Chinese consumers often depend on brand recognition as an indicator of product quality and safety, but blockchain can provide more reliable information on product supply chains, benefiting both consumers and manufacturers.

Blockchain technology can help fill a vacuum in reliable information about product supply chains. Image: Shutterstock
Health in China

Parents haunted by China’s melamine baby milk scandal still favour foreign brands

The tragedy that rocked China’s infant milk formula industry 12 years ago destroyed many parents’ faith in domestic brands, paving the way for foreign companies to charge ahead

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Inside Feihe: China’s largest baby formula company

IPO

Baby milk maker endorsed by film star Zhang Ziyi suspends shares

A report by GMT Research advised investors to avoid the stock because the company hadn’t paid a dividend in the five years before IPO.

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Actress Zhang Ziyi in China Feihe promotional material. Photo: zz-infos.com
China economy

China’s bestselling baby milk maker likely get solid bids in retail IPO

China Feihe, maker of the nation’s best-selling infant milk formula, probably attracted close to HK$10 billion of orders from retail investors in what could be the third largest IPO in Hong Kong this year, according to a survey of stockbrokers.

China Feihe enlists actress Zhang Ziyi to promote its milk products. Photo: zz-infos.com
China economy

Nations must show investment sense

As China seeks to diversify assets and ensure security of supply, especially for food, it faces thorough scrutiny from countries suspicious of its intentions.

Wellness

Excess breast milk? Make a body lotion or feed your plants

Successful breastfeeding can lead to an abundance of milk. You could sell it to body builders, or freeze it – but for a year at most. Hong Kong mothers have some tips on alternative uses for breast milk.

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