The a2 Milk Company & Chinese Opinion

Feelin Gluggy - Try that A2 Milk

 

In mid-2008 hospitals in China were being overrun with infant patients. A total 54,000 babies were made ill by the infant formula they were being fed, unbeknownst to their families. A type of resin used to make plastic was later discovered to be the cause. Some died, some had kidney failure, some recovered. Since that scenario, people held accountable within infant formula companies have been executed. 

This lesson about life and trust is fresh in the minds of most Chinese people. It’s a common belief here that Chinese milk cannot be trusted. I often teach on the weekends and am not surprised at some of the opinions I get from my students about milk. “What are you up to this weekend,” I ask. Common answer: “I have to go and pick up the infant formula I ordered from Germany.” Or a student mentions: “I love Australian milk,” or “Can you buy me some infant formula when you go home next?” 

Recently I read about New Zealand’s a2 Milk Company on news.com.au. I coupled together the idea that Chinese people like clean, fresh milk and the latest in milk technology and thought, hey, why not do a class on milk. It’s going to get a good result. So I read up on The a2 Milk Company and found out what A2 means. It’s in the protein of the milk. It has a different protein, beta-casein protein, known as A2.  Not like the normal A1 milk most of us drink. New Zealander milk specialists believe that, historically, Europeans drank A2 protein-based milk before that gene was bred out of dairy cattle. With their research, cattle were specifically bred to grow a2 milk. Considered an alternative for lactose intolerant people, A2 leaves you feeling less “gluggy” and able to handle your dairy products better. The perfect formula for Chinese people, a lot of whom are lactose intolerant.

The company markets A2 milk as being easier to consume for people who struggle to digest dairy products.     www.smh.com.au

I explained this to my students. I thought it would be a winning idea. The debate was quickly squashed by some: Why drink what we don’t really know about? How do we know it is good for our babies? A baby’s milk must follow tradition. (Meaning the formula cannot change for 22 months.) 

We further debated and the topic changed to GM food versus foods grown with hormones. Most students were opposed to GM food consumption, but the classroom went quiet when I asked what would you prefer? GM food, food grown with growth-hormones, or both? In China a lot of meat, fruit and vegetables are grown with the aid of size-enhancing drugs. The result: apples the size of grapefruits, carrots the size of eggplants and a sweetness nobody can resist. It’s true; a lot of Chinese fruit is grown with special sweeteners fed to the blooming crops. This helps keep those strawberries and pineapples tasting sweet as maple syrup. 

For these reasons I expected my students to be very open to the concept of milk made traditional, with A2 protein. I was wrong. But everybody agreed, if New Zealand’s a2 Milk Company sold its fresh product on the shelves of Shanghai, there would be none left to buy. The company’s infant formula is currently available here. I’m sure that will be a success story.