According to a recent survey conducted by the association and the Milk Quality Supervision Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture, all sampled products passed the State’s sanitary standards and had higher nutritional standards than the state requirement.

The survey covered 29 brands of germ-free pure milk products from 28 major milk companies across the country.

“In general, germ-free pure milk products on the Chinese market have reliable quality and can provide plentiful and balanced nutrition to consumers,” said Qiu Yuanheng, an engineer of the Milk Quality Supervision Center with the Ministry of Agriculture, on Friday.

Nutritionists said about 500 milliliters of milk can provide 50 percent of the animal protein and calcium needed by an ordinary individual each day. Milk is one of the best sources of calcium.

But milk is not traditionally part of the Chinese diet and occupies only a marginal segment of grocery sales currently.

The annual per capita milk consumption in China is only 6.4 kg, according to statistics from the association, much less than the 105-kg world average and the 300-kg level in some developed nations.

In Japan, a popular slogan goes: “A glass of milk makes a nation stronger.” A milk-drinking promotional program launched in India early in 1971 has helped increase the country’s per capita annual milk supply from 38 kg to 70 kg, ministry sources said.

Experts are encouraging local residents, especially the young and elderly, to have more milk in their daily diet.

(China Daily 02/27/2001)