"The moon abroad is rounder!" This kind of rhetoric appears periodically on the internet, and this time it's the dairy industry's turn. Is domestic milk really not as fragrant as imported? Is the protein content, a measure of milk quality, necessarily lower in domestic products? Don't just follow the crowd; only after investigation do you have the right to speak. To this end, Zebra Consumption dispatched a team to several supermarkets, randomly surveying nearly 20 types of UHT milk from 13 common Chinese and foreign brands, focusing on protein indicators, and concluded that domestic milk is not inferior to imported milk! -01- Domestic milk inferior to imported? Not at all! The supermarkets surveyed by the Zebra Consumption team included both large international chains and local supermarket giants. As soon as the team entered an international chain supermarket, they saw several milk brands competing fiercely at the entrance. This demonstrates the strong demand and intense competition in the milk market. During the survey, the team noticed that most ordinary consumers, when choosing milk, care most about brand, category, and price, paying insufficient attention to nutritional content. Even so, major brands prominently display protein content on their products as a selling point. Domestic milk is the main sales force in major supermarkets, with well-known domestic brands like Mengniu and Yili dominating the shelves. At the same time, many imported milk brands cater to the diverse needs of consumers. Mengniu's Telunsu is prominently placed on the shelf as the flagship product of Mengniu's UHT milk, with a protein content of 3.6g/100ml, higher than the standards of the US (3.1) and the EU (3.3). Bright Dairy's main product is Youjia pure milk, with the same protein content of 3.6. Both Mengniu and Yili have their own pure milk products for the mass market, priced around 2.5 yuan per 250ml box during promotions. Is their protein content lower? Not at all; the affordable pure milk from Mengniu and Yili both have a protein content of 3.2, higher than the US standard. Jindian Organic Milk is Yili's flagship product promoted in recent years, endorsed by diva Faye Wong. What about its quality? With a protein content of 3.8g/100ml, it is the highest among the UHT milk surveyed by the team, far exceeding EU standards. At this point, we can conclude that the quality of major domestic milk brands sold in supermarkets is impressive, with protein content meeting or exceeding EU standards. So, is the nutritional performance of imported milk necessarily better than domestic? The team tallied all imported milk sold in several supermarkets, including brands like MUH, Avonmore, Arla, Deza, Deyou, Devondale, Lanque, and Oldenburger, originating from Germany, Ireland, Australia, and other countries. The protein content of these imported brands is concentrated between 3.3 and 3.6, which is not higher than domestic milk; on the other hand, imported milk travels across the ocean to China, so its freshness is far inferior to domestic milk. -02- Standards debate should be grounded in reality It must be acknowledged that China's standards for raw milk protein content and total bacterial count are indeed not as high as those of developed countries like the EU, but this is based on the actual conditions in China, formulated after full demonstration by expert groups. Ignoring reality and talking about standards in the abstract is unrealistic. The protein content of raw milk from Chinese dairy cows is relatively low, which is related to the level of dairy farming in China, especially the insufficient supply of high-quality feed such as whole-plant corn silage and alfalfa hay. Additionally, protein content varies at different lactation stages, with raw milk protein content during the peak lactation period in summer being significantly lower than in other seasons. The total bacterial count in raw milk is determined by factors such as cow health, farm hygiene, and cold chain quality control. As China's large-scale dairy farming level gradually improves, this issue can be resolved. The development of China's dairy industry is supported by the government and cared about by the public. The state is vigorously supporting it to address existing problems. In 2018, the pace of transformation and upgrading of China's dairy industry further accelerated, with continuous improvement in standardization, scale, and organization. The proportion of large-scale farming with over 100 cows reached 61.4%, up 3.1 percentage points year-on-year, and 20.3 percentage points higher than in 2013. For the high-quality feed that dairy cows lack, the state continues to implement the action to revitalize the dairy industry through alfalfa development. In 2018, the pilot area for converting grain to feed exceeded 14 million mu, and support was provided for the construction of a 500,000 mu high-yield and high-quality alfalfa base in 13 provinces and regions including Hebei. The progress of China's dairy industry is also evident. According to the China Dairy Quality Report, in 2018, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs monitored 3,299 batches of raw milk samples, with an average milk protein content of 3.25g/100ml, up 0.02% year-on-year, far exceeding the national standard; the average milk protein content of raw milk samples from large-scale farms was 3.36g/100ml. During the same period, the average total bacterial count was 295,000 CFU/mL (lower than the US standard of 300,000 CFU/ml), down 1.8% year-on-year; additionally, monitoring of 200 raw milk samples from large-scale farms showed an average total bacterial count of 72,000 CFU/ml (lower than the EU standard of 100,000 CFU/ml). Ordinary consumers may not understand the intricacies of milk standards, but after reading this article, everyone should be clear about which protein content is higher or lower. Source: Zebra Consumption (ID: banmaxiaofei) Tips will be paid 400-2000 yuan once the tip is adopted.