Chinese dairy company Yili Group looks to the future focus on value-add and sustainability with a tech-twist to solve industry challenges  

After winning three awards at the World Dairy Innovation Awards, Yili’s assistant president Dr Yun Zhanyou said the company had confidence in the Chinese dairy market for the near future, highlighting consumers were looking for value-add and sustainability in its dairy products. 

Yili is dedicated to innovation driven by technology and is using visible GPS to track the transportation of raw milk to ensure quality data from various testing labs to be monitored at Yili’s headquarters. Zhanyou said consumers’ product needs were becoming increasingly segmented, personalised and diversified. The assistant president said Yili has turned to big data for real-time consumer feedback.

Dr Yun Zhanyou said the gap between average Chinese dairy consumption and the world average consumption per capita was still wide, meaning there is potential for future growth. During COVID, Chinese consumers have become more health conscious and are looking to food with health benefits. China’s Healthy China 2030 strategy and the National Health Commission’s dietary guidelines recommends an dairy intake of 300g per day for all residents, meaning there is strong policy support for the development of the Chinese dairy industry.

Yili is focusing on technological innovation and developing products featuring a more rational nutritional profile, a compelling brand story and functional attributes.