BeijingMay 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On the afternoon of May 19, during his visit to China, Silvio Erkens, Minister of Food Safety, Fisheries, and Horticulture of the Netherlands, conducted corporate exchanges and field inspections in Beijing, focusing on the market performance of Dutch dairy products in China and future cooperation prospects. This trip aims to further deepen agricultural cooperation between China and the Netherlands, bringing more high-quality, safe Dutch agricultural products to Chinese families.
That afternoon, Minister Erkens and his delegation held a special symposium with Royal FrieslandCampina, the largest dairy company in the Netherlands with a history of over 150 years. The two sides engaged in in-depth discussions on the current business development status, opportunities, and challenges of Dutch dairy products in the Chinese market, including infant formula, food ingredients, and professional dairy products. Minister Erkens praised FrieslandCampina’s achievements in China and affirmed its positive role in promoting Sino-Dutch dairy cooperation.
Subsequently, Minister Erkens and his delegation visited the Ole premium supermarket at the Guomao location to inspect the shelf placement and sales of Dutch dairy products. They also had a face-to-face, cordial exchange with consumer representatives of Friso, an infant formula brand under FrieslandCampina. The consumer representatives shared their product usage experiences and gave positive feedback on the safety and quality of Dutch dairy products.
Minister (first from right) engaging in a cordial exchange with consumers
Minister Erkens stated: “High-quality, safe dairy products are a globally renowned hallmark of the Netherlands. Windmills, pastures, and dairy cows together form the most beautiful landscape of the Netherlands. Royal FrieslandCampina boasts high-quality milk sources from its own pastures and a ‘from farm to table’ full supply chain management system. Seeing FrieslandCampina products travel across the ocean and enter millions of Chinese households fills me with great honor and pride.”
Looking ahead to future Sino-Dutch agricultural cooperation, Minister Erkens expressed positive expectations, hoping to deepen cooperation between the two countries in agriculture and food sectors, allowing more high-quality Dutch agricultural products to serve more Chinese families and consumers.
Minister (second from left) inspecting the market to review the shelf placement and sales of Dutch dairy products
The Netherlands is China’s second-largest source of dairy imports. In 2025, China imported dairy products worth $2.03 billion from the Netherlands, accounting for 16.2% of total imports, a year-on-year increase of 14.9%. The Netherlands is China’s largest source of infant formula imports. In 2025, China imported 82,200 tons of infant formula from the Netherlands, accounting for 37.7% of total imports, a year-on-year increase of 7.2%. The Netherlands is also an important source of imports for products such as whey and cream for China.
FrieslandCampina noted that as a cooperative dairy company, its dairy farmers are both owners of the company and suppliers of milk sources, ensuring product quality and safety from the source. Relying on the “from farm to table” full supply chain management model, FrieslandCampina adheres to the “nourished by nature” philosophy, balancing nutritional safety, animal welfare, environmental protection, and sustainable pasture development. In China, Royal FrieslandCampina’s wholly imported Dutch infant formula brand “Friso” is widely favored by consumers. According to the latest data from NielsenIQ, in the first quarter of 2026, in the infant formula market (excluding goat milk formula) covering mother-and-baby stores, supermarkets, and traditional e-commerce channels (excluding cross-border e-commerce), FrieslandCampina’s Friso ranked third in market share and first among international brands. FrieslandCampina also operates and sells products such as evaporated milk, pure milk, cheese, and butter in the food service channel, and supplies dairy ingredients to Chinese food and infant formula manufacturers.
Also attending the event were Marten van den Berg, Deputy Minister of Food Safety, Fisheries, and Horticulture of the Netherlands; Erik Smidt, Agricultural Counselor of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in China; Koert Verkerk, Global Director of Public Affairs at FrieslandCampina; Zhang Zhanhong, President of FrieslandCampina Professional Nutrition China; and Yang Guochao, Senior Vice President of FrieslandCampina China.