Chinese Parents Trust Only Foreign Infant Formula Brands Sourced From Outside The Country

Parents in China want only foreign infant formula brands, but trust them only if purchased from sources outside the country. Driven by food quality and safety scandals, the trend is having impact on sales in markets as far away as Europe where Chinese visitors sometimes empty store shelves. Food safety cases involving infant formula in China include the 2008 incident which killed six babies and downed 300,000 others who were given infant formula mixed with an industrial chemical designed to circumvent laboratory tests for protein content. Most recently, the local distributor of Hero baby formula, a high-end brand from Switzerland, was caught mixing expired milk powder into cans being readied for sale. China's leading formula brand, with 15 percent of the market, Danone's Dumex has been commended for its openness about its operations and efforts to convince consumers about its safety standards.