A2C prepares first a2 infant formula shipment to China

In a statement, A2C announced that packaging of a2 Platinum – its first venture in the infant nutrition market – had begun. The company has scheduled its first shipment of the new product to China for May 2013.

From there, the product will initially be rolled-out in cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, and Chongqing. This will be followed by distribution in Australia and New Zealand.

A2C also has plans to expand distribution in China to Hong Kong, Macau, and other major cities in the country.

Through the development, A2C hopes to tap into the “lucrative international demand” ​for New Zealand-made infant formula.

“More comparable” to mother’s milk​

According to A2C, a2 Platinum is the first and only infant nutrition product produced using a2 milk.

a2 milk is rich in A2 beta-casein proteins, but contains no A1 beta-casein proteins. Most dairy cows produce milk that contains both types. A1 proteins digest differently to A2 proteins, and have been linked to digestive discomfort.

Commenting on the launch, A2C managing director, Geoffrey Babidge, said that the product was developed to meet “increasing global focus on digestive health, allergies and intolerances.”​

“Infants in Australasia and China will be the first to enjoy a2 Platinum infant formula which contains only the A2 form of the beta-casein protein, which is more comparable to the protein that mothers naturally produce than to other beta-casein types linked to a range of potentially adverse health conditions," ​he said.

Produced to NZ’s “strict food safety standards”​

Babidge added that safety-conscious Chinese consumers can rest assured that a2 Platinum is produced to the “highest standards.”​

According to the company, a2 Platinum is “100% produced and packed to New Zealand’s strict food safety standards.”​ It is also independently tested by AsureQuality – the New Zealand government-owned quality food safety solutions provider.

“Mothers can be assured that a2 Platinum infant formula is being produced to the highest standards from a2 certified cows in Canterbury with the a2 milk being processed on behalf of A2 Corporation by Synlait Milk Limited whose quality assurance processes are amongst the highest in the industry,” ​said Babidge.

A2C added that supply chain security in China will be overseen by its distribution partner in the country – China State Farms Holding Company Shanghai.