Dairy producers in China eye senior customers

Dairy product companies from home and abroad are eyeing bigger opportunities in extending their consumer group from babies to adults in China, Financial Times newspaper reported on Monday.

China has long been one of the world's largest markets for milk, the competition for dairy companies is intense, and a relatively lower birth rate in recent years is creating a bigger consumer group in older citizens, forcing dairy companies to seek a new area of growth.

Dairy producers have introduced new products for adult and elderly citizens in China. Companies such as New Zealand's a2 Milk have introduced new milk powder products, followed by similar product introduced exclusively for senior citizens by Chinese companies such as Yili, Feihe, French company Danone, New Zealand's Fonterra, and Switzerland's Nestlé.

The a2 Milk company said its new product for older consumers had been designed to provide additional benefits to support the "health of the immune system" as well as "bone, joint and muscle health", according to the report.

A Feihe product is also designed to meet the healthier consuming habits for middle-aged and elderly people, according to the media report.