Asian expansion: ESI Nutrition’s infant formula powder approved for export to China
The nutrition division of Laïta will produce the formula at its French production site
10 May 2019 --- The new nutrition division of dairy cooperative Laïta, ESI Nutrition, has received approval from the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACG) to produce powdered infant formula for the country. The products will be manufactured at the company’s new industrial site, Laiterie Nouvelle de l’Argenon, in Créhen, France. The move comes two years after the company received approval to market its liquid infant nutrition offerings in China and further expands ESI’s presence on the Chinese market.
“With only a minority of Chinese mothers breastfeeding, the Chinese infant nutrition market is one of the largest in the world and continuously growing. This new approval will allow us to develop our reach in the area by providing nutritionally-adapted solutions that best support infant’s growth and development; especially as foreign offerings are still viewed by Chinese consumers as safer and higher-quality,” explains Mathieu Lucot, Marketing Manager at ESI Nutrition.
French dairy cooperative Laïta launched ESI Nutrition, in 2018 as a B2B division focused on nutrition and health. The division specializes in the development, industrialization and manufacturing of pre-packaged, high-end nutritional products.
ESI Nutrition’s strengthened presence in China comes almost a decade after the country’s melamine scandal. The country’s largest dairy cooperative, along with some other dairy firms, was implicated in a milk powder adulteration scandal, when melamine was found in its formulations and caused kidney damage in approximately 300,000 babies, as well as six fatalities.
ESI Nutrition showcased its wide offering, including liquid and dry solutions, packaged for retail at PLMA in Amsterdam, last year.Since the scandal, China started to implement incrementally stringent regulations to better control the supply of both domestic and imported infant formula. Receiving this approval thereby sends a strong message to the industry about the quality of ESI Nutrition’s products and its commitment to provide a high level of services and products, building this way customers’ trust, the company notes.
“Obtaining this certification is a recognition of the company’s long-term investment in cutting-edge equipment and of our commitment to quality procedures to produce premium powders that meet the strict standards of infant nutrition,” notes Lucot.
Activities in the MENA region
Focused on a global reach, ESI Nutrition previously exhibited at Gulfood 2019, in Dubai (February 17-21), for the first time. Concerning the MENA region, ESI Nutrition noted that the need for reliable partners in the infant nutrition market is pressing as countries in the region are facing a double burden of nutrition. However, the company also highlighted how it can reduce time-to-market and help companies overcome regulatory hurdles in the growing infant nutrition market.
Through one-on-one support and a large spectrum of solutions designed to meet the functional, nutritional and regulatory constraints of their customers, ESI Nutrition says it is committed to supporting companies in the region to launch top-tier products with a reduced time-to-market.
“Especially when it comes to products for infants and toddlers, partnering with the right suppliers who, like ESI Nutrition, have both a good understanding of the evolving regulatory landscape as well as technological and processing expertise is paramount for companies who wish to meet the strict demands of this industry,” noted Lucot.
