Focus

Parents turn to imports at any price

By Huang Yuli (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-25 07:50

Despite recent price rises Beijing parents still prefer imported milk powder to local brands.

"Price is not a problem," said a saleswoman surnamed Zhang in Chaoshifa, a popular chain supermarket. "Parents are inclined to buy imported milk powder for their babies, even if it is more expensive."

Many parents prefer foreign baby formula because it's generally better quality, said Zhang.

"Foreign brands are more nutritious - many of them add omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for the body," said Zhang.

Other parents start buying foreign brand baby formula out of safety concerns, springing from the 2008 tainted milk powder scandal, which involved several domestic dairy companies putting melamine in their products, she added.

"Once parents choose a brand and get babies accustomed to it, they are unlikely to switch later even if their concerns about domestic formula are allayed" she said.

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A young man surnamed Guo told METRO that he recently had trouble deciding which type of milk powder to buy - one from Nestle or one from Yili, the biggest domestic milk brand. A 400 gram-bag from Yili is more than 20 yuan cheaper than a similar sized bag from Nestle, but Guo said he eventually chose the latter.

"I don't dare to buy domestic milk powder anymore. I only buy imported powder now," said a netizen on an online shopping forum, 55bbs.com. "Safety is the first issue for me and I think baby formula from New Zealand is the safest option."

"There're actually no major difference between imported milk powder and domestic milk powder - domestic milk powder also contains omega-3 fatty acids," said a woman from the Dairy Association of China who refused to give her name.

"The only difference is consumer confidence in domestic brands, which dramatically declined after the melamine scandal in 2008," said the woman. "It had started recovering slowly but recent news that tainted milk has been found again smashed that."

But at least some parents are still opting for domestic baby formula.

"I won't follow the trend blindly," said a woman surnamed Zhou, who is a mother of a 3-year-old baby. She said the cheaper price is one of the main reason she sticks with domestic brands such as Yili.