Milk labeling transparency: Can't 'cheat' on children

(Chinhphu.vn) - A portion of the milk consumed today is reconstituted milk, which is milk mixed from imported powdered milk; while pure fresh milk with superior nutritional value is at a disadvantage due to higher prices and a lack of transparency in product labeling and classification.

For dairy products, absolute transparency is required in product labeling and communication, especially with community programs involving children.

This issue was mentioned by experts at the scientific workshop "Development of Vietnam's dairy industry to 2030, vision to 2045" organized by the Institute for Strategy and Policy Research on Industry and Trade ( Ministry of Industry and Trade ) on August 5.

Dr. Nguyen Manh Dat, Deputy Director of the Institute of Food Technology, said that reconstituted milk was a suitable solution in the context of Vietnam's many economic difficulties, contributing to supplementing nutrition for children during the development stage.

However, as socio-economic conditions have changed, the continued use of reconstituted or re-mixed milk needs to be carefully considered due to potential health risks, especially to the bone and physical development of young children.

Fresh milk, although superior in nutritional value, is at a competitive disadvantage due to the price difference compared to reconstituted milk. This leads to a paradox in the market, where better nutritional products have fewer opportunities.

The problem is that most consumers still confuse "sterilized fresh milk" and "sterilized reconstituted milk" because there is no clear distinction in current technical regulations. Mixing powdered milk and then sterilizing it is also called "sterilized milk", making it difficult for people to identify the nature of the product.

Prof. Dr. Le Thi Hop, President of the Vietnam Association of Women Intellectuals, former Director of the National Institute of Nutrition: We cannot cheat consumers, especially children.

Same label 'sterilized milk' but different quality

According to Dr. Nguyen Manh Dat, the process of reviewing and rebuilding national technical regulations for dairy products shows that there are still many shortcomings in current regulations.

Specifically, current regulations do not clearly distinguish between milk made from fresh ingredients and milk mixed from reconstituted milk powder, leading to a situation where the same label "sterilized milk" has a completely different product nature.

In addition, many important nutritional indicators such as protein, fat, vitamin D, calcium, etc. have not been clearly regulated in terms of minimum content or mandatory levels. In many countries, these essential micronutrients are specifically regulated to ensure nutrition, especially for young children. However, in Vietnam, there are no equivalent detailed regulations.

Therefore, updating and perfecting technical regulations on milk is urgent, not because there are errors but because reality has changed, requiring appropriate adjustments to protect consumers, especially children, and ensure transparency in the current milk market.

Sharing the same view, Prof. Dr. Le Thi Hop, President of the Vietnam Association of Intellectual Women, former Director of the National Institute of Nutrition, emphasized the role of milk in improving children's physical strength and intelligence, and expressed her views on transparency in distinguishing types of milk, especially in the School Milk program.

According to her, the current debate revolves around the type of milk used in the school milk program. Although the label says "sterilized fresh milk", it is difficult to determine whether it is raw fresh milk or reconstituted milk made from powder. If it is reconstituted milk, the price may be cheaper, but the nutritional quality is certainly not as good as pure fresh milk.

"For dairy products, absolute transparency is needed in product labeling and communication, especially with community programs related to children. We cannot cheat consumers, especially young children," emphasized Prof. Dr. Le Thi Hop.

At the same time, she recommended that management agencies need to have clear regulations on the classification and labeling of milk, especially in national programs such as school milk, to build trust and ensure nutritional rights for students.

Anh Tho

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/minh-bach-ghi-nhan-sua-khong-the-gian-lan-voi-tre-em-102250805162357806.htm