-
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.
Hong Kong’s Centre for Food Safety has found traces of toxins in four batches of baby milk powder recalled by Nestlé. Photo: Sam Tsang
Hong Kong society

Hong Kong authorities find toxins in 4 batches of milk powder recalled by Nestlé

Centre for Food Safety says Swiss food giant has recalled 96,000 tins of products due to potential contamination caused by bacteria in ingredients.

United States

ByHeart baby formula botulism likely linked to contaminated milk powder: FDA

Malaysia

‘Who can we trust?’: Nestle formula recall rattles Malaysian parents

Hong Kong society

Nestlé Hong Kong recalls another baby milk formula batch as tests get all clear

Swiss food giant has added a batch of formula with best-before date of June 16, 2027, to its recall list.

Nestlé is embroiled in a global scare over the potential contamination of certain batches of baby milk formula. Photo: Sam Tsang
Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong pharmacies pull Nestle baby milk formula amid recall over toxin risk

Membership of a WhatsApp concern group set up by a few mothers balloons to more than 800 people within hours.

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

‘Gift of life’: Hong Kong breast milk bank collects over 300 litres

More donations needed to reach aim of collecting 1,000 litres annually to help 450 to 600 premature and critically ill newborns.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Mainland 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.

videocam
Senior citizens enjoyed coffee at a rehabilitation facility in Tianjin in 2023. Photo: Xinhua
China society

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

The authorities deal with scandals seriously, including the recent one involving cooking oil, but by then, it may be too late. Regulation and monitoring must be stepped up.

videocam
Hong Kong

Editorial | Hong Kong breast milk bank is best for everyone

First city collection facility set for launch next year will help babies facing serious health problems and mothers struggling to supply.

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

videocam
8
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.

At their peak, “daigou” were more than just personal shoppers, their collective buying power could “make or break Australian brands seeking to enter the Chinese market”, insiders say. Photo: Shuttestock
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.

videocam
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.

videocam
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.

6
A shelf empty of painkillers and cold and flu medicine in a Kowloon Bay shop on December 27. Some Hongkongers have been snapping up fever and pain-relief drugs for their relatives and friends over the border, which has caused shortages at some pharmacies. Photo: Edmond So
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.

China’s market regulator says an unauthorised additive was found in a number of batches of Maiquer pure milk. Photo: Handout
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.

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.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
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.

5
US President Joe Biden delivers a speech during the state dinner hosted by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul on Saturday. Photo: EPA-EFE/Pool
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.

videocam
7
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.

6
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.

videocam
China’s organic food market is expected to grow by 10.2 per cent between 2019 and 2024 to US$5.5 billion. Photo: EPA-EFE
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.

videocam
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.

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.

Protein drinks are unsuitable for babies because they do not provide the nutrients they require. Photo: AFP
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.

videocam
Exports of Australian whey protein milk powder to China tripled in March from February to more than 1,000 tonnes, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics collected by industry group Dairy Australia. Photo: Shutterstock
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.

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.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement