中国大幅削减配方奶粉品牌数量

China has slashed the number of permitted milk powder products by 1,400, to boost the market share of the bigger domestic brands damaged by a safety scandal a decade ago, which led overseas companies to dominate the $20bn market.

中国将允许的奶粉产品数量大幅减少1400个，以提高因10年前一起安全丑闻而受到损害的国内大品牌的市场份额，那起丑闻导致海外企业主宰这个200亿美元的市场。

New regulations require factories to register with the Chinese Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) and pass safety inspections to sell in China. Plants that pass inspections are limited to marketing three brands.

新规要求厂家向国家食品药品监督管理局(CFDA)注册，并在通过安全检查后才能在中国销售。通过检查的工厂仅限于销售三个品牌。

All told, the eliminated brands will open up to 10 per cent of the market by sales volume, said Song Liang, an independent dairy analyst, driving sales to the most established names.

独立乳业分析师宋亮表示，综合考虑相关因素，被淘汰的品牌将释放最多10%的市场份额(按销量计算)，帮助那些地位最稳固的品牌提升销量。

“Bigger brands will benefit, including imported brands,” he added.

“较大的品牌将受益，包括进口品牌，”他补充说。

Eight of the top 10 brands in China are foreign, according to consultancy Euromonitor. Danone’s Nutricia leads the pack with a 10 per cent market share, followed by Nestlé’s Illuma with 9 per cent.

欧睿咨询(Euromonitor)的数据显示，中国市场前10大品牌有8个是外国的，其中达能(Danone)的纽迪希亚(Nutricia)以10%的市场份额拔得头筹，其次是雀巢(Nestlé)的启赋(Illuma)，占据9%的市场份额。

“This legislation is really welcomed by us and leaders in the industry because it does represent a move forward in protecting consumers and giving them higher confidence and a higher peace of mind,” said Bridgette Heller, executive vice-president of Danone’s early life nutrition unit division.

“这项法规深受我们和业界领导者的欢迎，因为它确实代表着在保护消费者方面向前迈出一步，让他们更有信心，更安心，”达能婴幼儿生命早期业务执行副总裁布丽奇特•赫勒(Bridgette Heller)表示。

So far the CFDA has approved about 950 formula products, a 60 per cent reduction from the 2,300 available as of last year. The regulations, which went into effect last week, are widely seen as an attempt to restore confidence in large domestic brands such as Feihe and Yili, by eliminating their smaller, less-trustworthy counterparts.

到目前为止，国家食品药品监督管理局批准了约950种配方奶粉产品，比上一年的2300种减少了60%。上周生效的新规，被广泛认为意在淘汰规模较小、信誉不太可靠的竞争对手，以恢复消费者对飞鹤(Feihe)和伊利(Yili)等国内大品牌的信心。

Overseas companies account for about three-quarters of milk powder sales in China following a 2008 scandal that saw a domestic brand tainted by melamine, an industrial chemical, killing several children and sickening tens of thousands of others.

境外企业占中国奶粉销售的四分之三左右。此前在2008年爆发的一起丑闻中，某个国产品牌的奶粉被曝受到工业化学品三聚氰胺的污染，造成数名幼儿死亡，另有许多儿童身体受损。

The country’s formula market grew 8 per cent in value terms last year to $19.7bn in sales as consumers upgraded to more expensive varieties because of rising incomes, according to Euromonitor.

据欧睿咨询介绍，去年中国配方奶粉市场以价值计增长8%，至197亿美元，其推动因素是随着收入上升，消费者升级到比较贵的奶粉产品。

Most approved brands are from domestic manufacturers, with just 209 imported brands approved. With 54 products, New Zealand has the most registered formulas among all foreign countries.

多数获得批准的品牌来自国内厂家，仅有209个进口品牌获得批准。新西兰有54种产品获批，是配方奶粉在中国获得注册最多的国家。

The eliminated brands are mostly low-end varieties sold in poorer regions of China, where large domestic players will have the upper-hand in gaining market share because of their lower prices.

被淘汰的品牌大多是在中国较贫穷地区销售的低端品种，在这些地区，国内大厂家将在抢占市场份额方面具备优势，因为它们的价格较低。

“Well-known domestic brands are more privileged to gain the share with their more prominent resources and capacity in the [lower-end] market,” said Cecilia Yang, an analyst at Euromonitor.

“知名国内品牌借助其在(较低端)市场的更多资源和产能，更有机会提高市场份额，”欧睿分析师Cecilia Yang表示。

But analysts said the cut in brands could be positive for overseas companies.

但一些分析师表示，削减品牌数量对境外公司可能也是一个利好。

“It will benefit imported brands, as the gap between higher and low-income consumption is narrowing because of ecommerce,” said Mr Song.

“这将有利于进口品牌，因为电子商务收窄了高收入和低收入消费之间的差距，”独立分析师宋亮表示。

Foreign brands are using internet platforms to reach the Chinese countryside. They also expect an uptick in sales as a result of more births following the abolition of China’s one-child policy in 2015.

国外品牌正在利用互联网平台深入中国农村。它们还预计，中国在2015年取消独生子女政策后更多婴儿的出生，会促进销量。

China’s government has attempted to persuade consumers to buy domestic brands, with the main state-run broadcaster in September running a report that said local products were more nutritious — a broadcast that was met with derision online.

中国政府一直试图说服消费者购买国产品牌，去年9月主要官方广播电视机构曾播出一则报道，称国产奶粉更具营养价值;这一说法在网上遭到嘲讽。

“In spite of all the attempts to invigorate the domestic industry, imported formulas remain strong,” Peter Peverelli, an industry analyst wrote in a note.

“尽管有振兴国内产业的种种努力，但进口配方奶粉依然热销，”行业分析师彼得•佩韦雷利(Peter Peverelli)在一份简报中写道。