What is the struggle for the new national standard in the dairy industry?

Editor's note: Since the birth of the new national standard of the dairy industry last year, there has been constant debate. Recently, disputes over the level of raw milk standards once again pushed the Chinese dairy industry to the cusp of public opinion.

Wang Dingmian, chairman of the Guangzhou Dairy Association, said that China's dairy product standard is the lowest in the world; Nadal Mund, secretary general of the Inner Mongolia Dairy Association, believes that formulating dairy products must proceed from China's national conditions and proceed from an objective reality. The conflict between these two viewpoints is obvious. Through the debate, we may find new opportunities for the development of China's dairy industry.

Is the new national standard reduced? Raw fresh milk is referred to as raw milk, raw milk or raw milk. It refers to milk that has just been squeezed out without any processing or heat treatment. According to Wang Zhutian, deputy director of the Center for Nutrition and Food Safety at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and head of the Expert Group on Dairy Safety Standards, the 66 new dairy standards, including the "Fresh Milk Acquisition Standard," are the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture. The National Standards Committee and other departments and relevant industry associations have completed the clean-up coordination group for dairy safety standards after one year. They have been reviewed and approved by the National Food Safety Standards Review Committee, and were officially announced in March 2010. According to the mandatory provisions of the new national standard, the total number of raw milk bacteria should not exceed 2 million/ml, and the minimum protein content should be 2.8 g/100 g.

According to the 1986 "Prescription for the purchase of raw milk" (that is, the old national standard), the total number of bacteria in the optimal level of raw milk should not exceed 500,000/ml, and the minimum value of protein is 2.95 g/100 g. Judging from these two indicators, the new national standard does not raise the standard for raw milk purchase, but it is not as good as the standard set 25 years ago. This has also become the main basis for Wang Dingmian, chairman of the Guangzhou Dairy Association, to question the new national standard.

“After 25 years of development, the level of science and technology in the dairy industry has improved, and people’s living standards are better than before. How can we reduce the standard to such a low level?” said Nan Qingxian, a doctoral supervisor at China Agricultural University and an executive member of the China Dairy Association. In all major dairy countries of the world, the raw milk protein content standard is at least 3.0% or more; while the total number of colonies is 100,000 in the United States and the European Union, and 30,000 in Denmark, the new national standard pulls the standards of China and developed countries. It's even more open. ”

In this regard, Meng Wei, a member of the Expert Team on Food Safety Supervision and Testing Center (Shanghai) and Dairy Safety Standards of the Ministry of Agriculture, retorted that the old national standard in 1986 divided the total number of colonies into four grades; Level I was below 500,000 CFU (Colony ML, less than 1 million in Level II, less than 2 million in Level III, and less than 4 million in Level IV. "The new national standard will adjust 4 million per milliliter to 2 million per milliliter. It cannot be said to be retrogressive. It should be said that More stringent requirements."

As to why the new national standard reduced the minimum standard for the purchase of raw milk protein by 0.15%, Nadamud said that 70% of dairy farmers will kill if they implement higher standards. He explained: "Everyone wants to have a high standard and strict quality for dairy products. However, if a standard is set, most producers will not be able to reach it, and some will be out of place."

At present, the actual situation of China's dairy cattle breeding industry is: the proportion of small-scale free-fetching is higher, more than 70%; more than 100 sizes, less than 30%. Because it is not a standardized culture, dairy farmers often feed their own food and give dairy cows what to eat. Therefore, raw milk has unstable protein content.

Usually, during the lactation period from the end of May to the end of August, a significant portion of the raw milk protein content was less than 2.95%. According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, in the summer of 2007 and 2008, the proportion of raw milk with protein content lower than 2.95 g/h in some provinces in the north reached 75% and 90% respectively; a dairy enterprise in the three regions of northwest, south, and northeast in June. The proportion of raw milk with a protein content below 2.95 g/hectare was 75.8%, 33.8% and 24.9%, respectively.

However, Wang Dingmian does not agree with the claim that the new national standard is to take care of the interests of small and medium sized dairy farmers. He said that the new standard has been implemented for a year, and dairy farmers have not benefited greatly from it. According to the report, domestic demand for dairy products has grown rapidly, but in some places milk farmers have poured milk and killed cattle. In some places, the price of a pound of raw milk fell to 1.2 yuan, and even 8 cents, and even feed and labor costs were insufficient. If you have a good market and profit, how can a dairy farmer withdraw?

Dairy farmers are not profitable, and domestic consumers do not buy it. Wang Dingmian said that many people are now trying their best to buy dairy products from abroad. At home, they are willing to pay high prices, go abroad for big bags, and take risks to scrutinize online shopping. They all show that the people are Consumer confidence in domestically produced dairy products declined. Wang Dingmian believes that it is the dairy companies that have lowered their standards and made profits. With lower feeding costs, companies are more likely to acquire low-priced milk sources and have conditions to occupy the market at lower prices.

The raw milk standard does not equal the dairy product standard. “Many people confuse the two concepts of raw material standards and product standards.” Wang Weimin, Secretary-General of the Western Dairy Industry Development Association and secretary general of the Xi'an Dairy Association, said: “The new national standard is fully prepared by more than 70 experts. Research, careful consideration, and rigorous argumentation are the products that have been formulated to regulate the development of the dairy industry, protect consumer food safety, and safeguard the balance of interests of millions of dairy farmers.

"The current dispute over the new national standard stems more from the public's fear of misunderstanding." Fang Zhouzi, a popular science writer, believes that the distinction between pasteurized milk and room temperature milk should not be exaggerated to demonize room temperature milk, nor can it be because of raw milk standards. The decline is alarmist, misleading and scaring consumers. “How many people think that the 2 million bacteria are going to drink alive!”

"Raw milk as raw milk, consumers will not drink directly, production companies use their production of products must be sterilized and other processes, to achieve national standards for dairy products before they can be listed on the market." Meng Hao said.

Xue Xiaoxian, a director of the Inner Mongolia Dairy Association and a professor of biology at the College of Life Sciences at Inner Mongolia University, pointed out: “The total number of bacteria corresponds to raw milk and is not a finished product of dairy products purchased by consumers. During the production of domestic dairy products, the raw milk is passed through an ultra-high temperature. Sterilization, there is no problem with the direct entrance of raw milk, and the finished dairy product also fully complies with food safety standards."

Xue Xiaoxian also believes that there is no need to worry about the decline in protein content will affect the nutritional value of milk, milk is not to add protein, but mainly to supplement the B vitamins and calcium and other inorganic substances.

Fang said that protein is an essential nutrient and we must supplement it every day. A high-quality protein of 48 grams a day for a 60-kilometre person can be obtained from food. An egg contains about 6 grams of high-quality protein. In contrast, the 0.15% of protein that is less milk is negligible.

Many companies have implemented higher standards. Wang Dingmian criticized the world’s worst speech in the new national standard. One dairy industry insider said that it is very puzzling: “The national standard of Japan is that the total number of colonies in raw milk is less than 4 million/ml, the Philippines. There is no national standard, and even though Japan's national standard is less than 4 million colonies per milliliter, the company's standards are very strict, and the standard for collecting milk is about 10,000/ml."

“The national standard is one thing. It is another matter for our company to do it by ourselves.” During the interview, the reporter discovered that many companies stated that they actually did not care about the new national standard. The new national standard was only the “minimum standard” of the industry and was a source of milk. With the acquisition of qualified "entry thresholds", companies have their own strict standards, even more stringent than those of dairy companies in developed countries.

According to statistics, the total number of milk bacteria in the Sanyuan Luhe Dairy Cattle Breeding Center in 2007 has been controlled at 100,000/ml or less, and the average number of milk bacteria in Fujian Changfu in 2010 was only 79,500/ml. This is much higher than the national standard of 2 million/ml. Cao Mingshi, deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai Dairy Association, said that the average number of bacteria in Shanghai's raw milk is now 56,000 per milliliter. The standards implemented by many local dairy companies are not even inferior to overseas dairy standards.

According to Chen Lianfang, a senior expert in dairy industry at Oriental Agritech Consulting, dairy enterprises mostly purchase grades when purchasing milk sources. Different protein content and health indicators are purchased at different prices; after the acquisition comes back, they are also distributed according to the demand of the products they produce. For example, if the milk source is collected according to the new national standard, only normal-temperature milk, cold drinks and other products can be used, and high-quality milk sources with high protein and low total bacteria are used as high-end milk such as yogurt and cheese.

Behind the controversy is the opportunity "The dairy industry has undergone two years of rectification and has undergone great changes. The quality of domestic dairy products is reliable." At the Second China Food Safety High-Level Forum held on July 3, China's dairy products Song Kungang, chairman of the Industrial Association, said.

He said that after the melamine incident, China's dairy industry entered an unprecedented adjustment period. “The State Council promulgated the “Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Dairy Products Quality and Safety”, which is the first in the food industry; the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology revise the dairy industry industrial policy and implement an access system for the industry; the Ministry of Agriculture promulgated the “Management Measures for the Acquisition of Fresh Milk Production”; The industrial and commercial departments have issued circulation permits for the circulation of dairy products..."

Chen Lianfang said that the focus of the debate should be on the interests of dairy farmers and the quality of milk. He suggested that the national or local government categorize dairy farmers and establish barriers to entry for dairy cows. For example, dairy farmers who are good at dairy cows can support him to form a scale, while those who do not breed can guide them to grow high-quality forage grasses. Subsidy, "This will not only improve the quality of milk, but also solve the dairy farmers' interests."

“Addressing the interests of dairy farmers” and “Improving the quality of milk sources” are two aspects of a problem. When both parties are on a virtuous cycle, the quality of milk we drink will be fundamentally protected, and the healthy development of China's dairy industry It is fundamentally guaranteed. In this sense, this new national standard dispute is indeed an opportunity for China's dairy industry.

It is understood that the Ministry of Health is following up the evaluation of the implementation of national standards for dairy safety according to law, and will further revise and improve the standards based on the follow-up evaluation opinions. The Ministry of Agriculture is also working on formulating raw milk grading standards to guide dairy companies to use different grades of raw milk to produce differentiated dairy products.