Children's dairy consumption, how to make up for the shortcomings of healthy nutrition

Dairy is an essential food for children throughout their life cycle. Many countries internationally regard the development of the dairy industry as an important way to improve the physical quality of children. As the best source of macronutrients, micronutrients and bioactive factors, milk plays an important role in the growth and development of children and adolescents. Scientific milk consumption can ensure normal growth and development of infants and young children, reduce malnutrition in children, prevent the occurrence of chronic diseases and increase life expectancy per capita.

The monitoring data of the Report on Nutrition and Chronic Diseases in China (2020) shows that the average dairy intake of people aged 3-5 years, 6-11 years and 12-17 years is 56g/day, 71g/day and 75g/day respectively, which is only about 1/7 of the recommended intake of the Chinese Dietary Guidelines (2022).

"The role of dairy products in children's nutrition improvement and health promotion is inadequate, and it is the most prominent shortage product in children's food consumption at present." Recently, at the 13th China Dairy Conference "Dairy Nutrition and Children's Health Forum", Chen Mengshan, director of the National Advisory Committee on Food and Nutrition and honorary deputy director of the Strategic Development Working Committee of the China Dairy Association, said.