Chinese melamine scandal continues to drive premium infant formula, says Lallemand

12 Jun 2020 --- Over a decade after melamine was found in infant formula in China, this scandal is still driving demand for premium infant formula brands. This is according to Solange Henoud, Global Regulatory Affairs Director at Lallemand Health Solutions, who speaks to NutritionInsight following the company receiving approval from the Chinese National Health Commission for the use of three of its probiotic strains in infant formula. She also elaborates on how the move fits in with the company’s plans to expand its infant formula offerings in China.

“China is the largest and fastest-growing market for infant formula products in the world. The infant formula market trends are majorly driven by the strong demands emerging from favorable birth rates following the elimination of the ‘one-child’ policy by the Chinese government and the increased income of the middle-class population. China’s infant formula market is expected to increase due to many growth drivers, such as high female workforce share, rising middle class and dual-income families, thus increasing expenditure on premium nutrition,” Henoud explains.

Lallemand regards this endorsement by the National Health Commission as “a prodigious regulatory achievement” considering the company’s L. helveticus Rosell-52 (R0052), B. infantis Rosell-33 (R0033) and B. bifidum Rosell-71 (R0071) now join an “elitist list” of only nine previously approved strains. 

The Health Commission approval does not allow Lallemand to rest on its laurels. “With regulations and authorities’ thinking constantly evolving, no one can state that there will be a time with no more hurdles at any place in the world! However, on a positive note, we’ve lately noticed an increased awareness and a regulatory environment progressing for probiotics in China with a hope to accelerate access to market,” notes Henoud.

Lallemand regards this endorsement by the National Health Commission as “a prodigious regulatory achievement.”One example of recent regulatory change is the Lactobacillus genus taxonomy reclassification. “How China will react to this remains unknown. Note that these three strains will keep their taxonomy, so this isn’t an issue here [at Lallemand]. But [this is] just to say that we can expect anything to happen in the regulatory world at any time, either for probiotics or for example for additives needed in a finished product formula, especially for vulnerable populations such as infants,” Henoud affirms.

Safety is an “utmost preoccupation”
The Health Commission approval is particularly instrumental in ensuring Lallemand’s strains are safe for infant formula use considering China’s local baby formula industry is still recuperating from its melamine contamination accident in 2008. Melamine was found in milk and infant formula, which caused kidney damage in approximately 300,000 babies, as well as six fatalities. 

“The melamine scandal was reported globally and forever changed the face of the baby milk market. Over a decade later, this lasting impact has driven demand with premium brands valued for safety and quality assurance. This is also where sanitary authorities come into play and have to gain back trust by putting in place a strict authorization process,” Henoud recalls.

While still mindful of this experience, Lallemand has observed an increase in demand for probiotics that can help boost immunity during the last few months, according to Henoud. “This is true in the general population for many types of products and now parents are more prone to buy infant formula that can support babies’ natural defenses. For distributors, this means trying to create a probiotic formula with trustworthy, safe and efficient strains to differentiate their offer in a very competitive market,” she highlights.

Lallemand has observed an increase in demand for probiotics that can help boost immunity.Clinical-backing: A must
Brands use scientific evidence to build brand trust with consumers to ensure their strains are indeed “trustworthy, safe and efficient.” In 2017, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study confirmed the safety and tolerance of Lallemand’s three Chinese-approved probiotic strains in 221 healthy three to 12 month-old infants. The babies were on different diets – formula, mother’s milk or a combination of both. An analysis in 2018 showed how these three probiotic strains help support a baby-specific microflora, regardless of any influencing factors.

In the following year, another randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study measured the safety and efficacy of the combination of these three probiotic strains and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), also known as Probiokid formula, in 132 healthy, formula-fed babies aged three and a half month-olds to six month-olds. The researchers concluded that Probiokid can play a role in babies’ gut functions and help support normal immune development. The three strains also received Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) status from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2017.

As safety in infant nutrition is an “utmost preoccupation,” the probiotic strains are scientifically-backed “before even thinking to break through the market,” Henoud underscores. “Besides, there is no second-guessing; the Chinese sanitary authorities are meticulous about health and safety concerns. Our team went through a complex and lengthy registration process, but the strong evidence we had on hand for these strains, made us confident we would complete the approval process by the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China for use in infant food.” Henoud concludes.

By Anni Schleicher, with additional reporting by Kristiana Lalou