Thursday, 31 May 2012 14:01

Meeting China’s dairy appetite

Written by 

A NEWLY opened Fonterra innovation centre in Shanghai will develop dairy products and ingredients for the China market.

Speaking last week at a launch ceremony, chief executive Theo Spierings said innovation underpins the cooperative’s entire global strategy and is critical to the integrated milk business being built in China.

“Demand for dairy nutrition is expected to double by 2020 and the way people consume dairy will change. The opening of the state-of-the-art Shanghai Innovation Centre will help us build and grow beyond our current product and ingredient offerings and better meet the needs of local Chinese consumers and customers.

 “China is a significant priority in Fonterra’s global strategy and our innovation centre will help us develop unique products and formats that suit the needs of the local population.”

Particular focus will be on leveraging Fonterra’s dairy protein R&D capability in New Zealand. 

“As incomes rise across China, people are looking for nutrition that supports the health of their families, particularly young children, and dairy is one of the most nutritious foods there is,” Spierings says. “People are also becoming busier, which means they’re often looking for dairy products to eat on-the-go or use to make quick, easy, nutritious meals.” 

Fonterra China president Phillip Turner says the centre will allow Fonterra to work more closely with major customers and the food service industry.

“The centre will [run] product training courses for major customers primarily focused on the Anchor dairy product line. Fonterra advisory chefs will help deepen customers’ technical knowledge and develop recipes.”

The centre will employ local staff, who will be trained in product formulation, product production, operating procedures and food safety systems.

Featured

Fencing excellence celebrated

The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.

B+LNZ launches AI assistant for farmers

Beef + Lamb New Zealand has launched an AI-powered digital assistant to help farmers using the B+LNZ Knowledge Hub to create tailored answers and resources for their farming businesses.

National

Machinery & Products

JDLink Boost for NZ farms

Connectivity is widely recognised as one of the biggest challenges facing farmers, but it is now being overcome through the…

New generation Defender HD11

The all-new 2026 Can-Am Defender HD11 looks likely to raise the bar in the highly competitive side-by-side category.

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Buttery prize

OPINION: Westland Milk may have won the contract to supply butter to Costco NZ but Open Country Dairy is having…

Gene Bill rumours

OPINION: The Gene Technology Bill has divided the farming community with strong arguments on both the pros and cons of…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter