Slight Rise in Consumer Satisfaction in Liquid Milk

According to a report issued by the China Association for Quality (CAQ) on 16 January, recent research has shown that consumer satisfaction in liquid milk scores 75.91 (of a potential 100) – showing a slight rise from 75.6 in 2011. This reflects the ongoing recovery of the domestic dairy industry after the melamine scandal in 2008, but still leaves much for liquid milk processors to address.

This is QAC’s 4th such survey, with the consumer satisfaction section one of its key components since 2009. The research covers 22 1st and 2nd tier cities and 20 brands, including 3 national brands (Yili, Mengniu and Bright Dairy) and 17 regional brands.

The latest score for liquid milk of 75.91 is higher than 2011’s 75.6 and 2010’s 72.49, but remains lower than the 2009 score of 76.2. Longdan Dairy, Huishan Dairy and Shandong Deyi make up the top three, in this order (out of 20) while Yili, Mengniu and Bright Dairy rank 14th, 19th and 17th with scores of only 71.7, 70.8 and 72.3 respectively. The higher rating for some regional brands may reflect consumers’ higher quality expectations of the national brands.

The signs of dairy industry recovery can also be seen in figures for consumer mconfidence in liquid milk (as opposed to consumer satisfaction which takes into account flavour and other preferences, consumer confidence focuses on quality and government supervision of China’s liquid milk products). Consumer confidence in liquid milk scores 73.44, 5.17 marks up on the 2010 score, but 1.66 marks lower than the score in 2009 (no figure was given for 2011). So although consumer confidence in liquid milk has risen, it still remains at a low level.

Consumers also express satisfaction and approve of the changes that have been made in respect of the detailed and clear labelling on food ingredients, production site and shelf life, packing safety and sanitation, etc. At the same time, many consumers are dissatisfied with the “richness” or “concentration” of milk – some consumer find the taste of milk too weak and “watered down”, with the suspicion that some manufacturers are actually diluting their products. Consumers’ satisfaction in “milk concentration” scores only 72.56, the lowest amongst all quality characteristic points – suggesting that this is an area which dairy processors should focus on. In addition, some consumers also express dissatisfaction about milk flavour and the incomplete or inaccurate labelling of the nutritional content.

The results indicate that Chinese consumers are paying more attention to the quality and brand image of liquid milk than to other aspects such as price, giving suppliers a clear pointer as to what the market wants. The scores of some of the processors are significant in the same respect, notably that of Bright Dairy. It scored only 72.3 and ranked 17th out of 20 liquid milk processors evaluated in the satisfaction survey in 2012. Yet in 2011 it had scored 78.8, ranking 5th from 24 liquid milk processors − this marked change reflects the series of quality scandals which affected the company in 2012.

We can also see that consumers are highly dissatisfied with the Chinese Government controls in this area. Consumer confidence in government supervision of liquid milk scores only 67.44, highlighting (if this were needed) how important it is for government to take measures to improve the quality and safety of liquid milk.

The newsletter above is derived from Dairy Products China News 1301 issued by CCM.

Table contents of Dairy Products China News 1301:

2012 Annual Review

Overview of Butter Market in China

Dairy Product Prices Rise

Slight Rise in Consumer Satisfaction in Liquid Milk

China’s Milk Powder Imports Increase

Whey Products Import Situation in 2012

Imported UHT Milk Prospects

Liaoning Dairy Industry Development

Gansu Government Further Strengthens Food Safety Supervision

Huangru Cooperates with Tianlu Dairy

Tianyou Dairy Launches New Farm

Huishan Dairy to Launch Infant Formula

Nestlé Enters Protein Powder Market

Dairy Products China News, a monthly publication issued by CCM on 30^th or 31^st, offers you the latest information on new market dynamics, company development, new products, technology, packaging and raw material supply, etc. It also focuses on the government’s direction and polices, helping you get the whole picture of the industry. 

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