National Two Sessions | Feihe's Liang Youbin: Independent innovation to enhance high-quality protein supply, safeguarding the nutritional and health of people of all ages in the country.

During the National Two Sessions in 2026, National People's Congress delegate and CHINA FEIHE Chairman Leng Youbin put forward two proposals regarding dairy industry technological innovation and national nutrition and health, aiming to solve the bottleneck issue of core raw materials in the dairy industry, enhance the industry's level of autonomy and control over the supply chain, support high-quality population development, and promote the construction of a Healthy China. Leng Youbin Close to half of adults have inadequate protein intake, and it is recommended to strengthen protein nutrition dietary guidance and awareness. Protein is the cornerstone of human health, and its intake level directly affects the physical fitness and development quality of the population. The "2020 Report on Nutrition and Chronic Disease Status of Chinese Residents" shows that the average daily protein intake of Chinese residents is 60.4 grams, much lower than the 93.9 grams in the United States and 71.4 grams in Japan. The "2025 National Protein Intake Status Survey Report" further reveals that there are common problems in China, such as a limited variety of protein sources and inadequate intake. Among them, close to half (45%) of adults have insufficient protein intake, and nearly 90% of the elderly actively reduce protein intake due to decreased physical function and misconceptions about chronic diseases, leading to serious health problems such as muscle loss and increasing their own economic burden and national medical insurance expenditure pressure. Leng Youbin stated that milk protein contains all 8 essential amino acids required by the human body, but its proportion in the national protein intake structure has been insufficient for a long time. This is partly because the general public has unclear understanding of the function and value of milk protein, and on the other hand, because the deep processing industry of milk protein in China is relatively weak, with a long-term reliance on key protein raw materials through imports, exacerbating the imbalance between supply and demand for protein nutrition among residents. "Traditional milk protein extraction requires transforming milk into cheese. Due to the lack of an industrial base in the cheese sector in China, while the cheese industry in Europe and America is well-developed, it has taken the lead in the production of core raw materials related to milk protein," Leng Youbin said. "The current situation of protein intake among the population is fundamentally a mismatch between demand for quality protein and supply capacity." In response to this, Leng Youbin suggested a dual approach from the demand side and the supply side. On the demand side, tailored "National High-Quality Protein Intake Guidelines" should be formulated for different population groups, revisions to the "National Standards for Food Safety - General Rules for Nutritional Labels on Pre-packaged Foods" should be made, uniform labeling standards for "high-protein" food should be established to provide consumers with a clear framework for protein nutrition awareness, enabling LBX Pharmacy Chain Joint Stock to have a better understanding of protein nutrition knowledge; on the supply side, policy support for deep processing enterprises should be increased, a platform for industry-academia-research collaboration should be established, and the independent supply capacity of high-quality protein should be enhanced. Vigorously developing dairy deep processing to promote high-quality development of the Chinese dairy industry. "For example, casein, as one of the globally recognized high-quality proteins, constitutes about 80% of the protein composition in milk and is of great value to bone and muscle health. However, due to the insufficient annual production of original cheese in China, about 90% of the raw materials used in reconstituted cheese depend on imports. The high dependence on imports of key raw materials such as whey protein and casein has persisted for a long time." Leng Youbin pointed out that this reflects the shortcoming of China's dairy protein deep processing capability. Although domestic companies have been exploring in relevant areas, they are constrained by certain clauses in the current national standards that have been in use for many years, as well as limitations on types of raw materials and lagging detection technology, making it difficult for enterprises to break through bottlenecks and achieve large-scale, efficient extraction and deep processing of casein. At the same time, the global market's demand for high-quality proteins related to adult immunity and muscle health is increasing. According to Frost & Sullivan research, the global milk protein market is expected to maintain stable growth in the coming years, with the casein market projected to reach $49.8 billion by 2030 and the whey protein market to reach $22 billion, showing huge market potential. Faced with this huge opportunity, domestic companies are unable to effectively participate in international competition due to long-term reliance on high-end raw materials, inadequate deep processing capabilities, and limited professional talents. Leng Youbin emphasized that this will further exacerbate the imbalance in the domestic dairy industry's industrial structure. A large amount of milk sources are forced to flow into low-value-added industrial skim milk powder or whole milk powder processing, leading to an unreasonable situation of oversupply of low-end products and shortage of supply of high-end products becoming increasingly prominent. This imbalance may cause the Chinese dairy industry to miss out on the strategic opportunity for growth in the global milk protein market. In response to this, Leng Youbin suggested setting a target of over 60% for the localization rate of core raw materials such as whey protein during the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" period, increasing policy support to encourage companies to engage in technological innovation and industrial upgrading. At the same time, he recommended adjusting and improving industry standards according to actual industry development, establishing special evaluation methods for new technologies and processes in the production of dairy functional raw materials, conducting special trials in deep processing while ensuring quality and safety, and promoting technological innovation and industrial upgrading through a more flexible and encouraging policy environment. As a leading company in the industry, FEIHE has made breakthrough progress in dairy deep processing. Currently, FEIHE has completed the establishment of multiple scaled production lines for concentrated whey protein, lactoferrin, desalted whey, skimmed milk, casein, and other crucial raw materials, achieving 100% self-production capability for 11 key materials, establishing a complete technical system of "cutting-edge research-technological reserve-commercialization". This practice provides a feasible pathway and industrial demonstration for breaking the bottlenecks such as excess milk sources, dependence on key ingredients through imports, and a single industrial structure of the dairy industry. Layout of comprehensive nutrition for the entire Chinese population to support the construction of Healthy China. The latest data released by the National Bureau of Statistics shows that by the end of 2025, the number of people over 60 years old in China has exceeded 320 million. Actively addressing population aging, promoting the construction of Healthy China, realizing high-quality population development has become an important strategic response to changes in the Chinese population. As a leading company in the industry, providing precise nutrition for the entire population throughout their life cycle is a critical responsibility. Leng Youbin stated: "With dairy protein as the core, laying out comprehensive nutrition throughout the entire life cycle is not only the path that Chinese dairy companies must take to participate in international competition, but also an essential duty to meet the needs of national health and well-being." Established for over sixty years, FEIHE has been deeply rooted in Chinese breast milk, insisting on achieving the ultimate goal of producing "milk formulas that are more suitable for the physique of Chinese babies". FEIHE has successively joined the national 863 Plan, undertook key projects during the periods of the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" and "Fourteenth Five-Year Plan", and by building a complete industrial chain, has made breakthroughs in the core technologies such as deep processing of milk protein, achieving independent production control over key raw materials. In recent years, FEIHE has further extended its professional expertise and scientific research results accumulated in the field of infant formula milk to cover all ages, achieving a transition from focusing on early-life nutrition to providing scientific nutrition throughout the entire life cycle. Currently, FEIHE has formed a product matrix covering the early stages of life, children and adolescents, adults, and middle-aged and elderly people, providing precise nutrition required throughout the entire life cycle, from infant formula and rice cereal for infants and young children, to cheese for adolescents, and to the "Love Ben" series of functional nutritional products and the "FEIHE Ranch" small-molecule milk protein nutritional powder series products targeting people over 35 years of age, offering precise nutrition for all stages of life. "The resolute determination and practical measures taken by the state to support the development of the private economy allow us to focus on original innovation and core technological breakthroughs for the long term," Leng Youbin said. "Looking to the future, FEIHE's goal is not only to be a leader in infant formula milk, but also to become a dairy protein nutrition expert for the Chinese people, continually exploring the nutritional value of milk protein from the source of every drop of fresh milk, safeguarding the healthy life of every Chinese national. This is our greatest commitment for the 'Fifteenth Five-Year Plan' and something our generation must continue to work on."