BeijingMay 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On the afternoon of May 19, during his visit to China, Dutch Minister for Food Safety, Fisheries, and Horticulture Silvio Erkens led a delegation to conduct corporate exchanges and field research in Beijing, focusing on the market performance and future cooperation prospects of Dutch dairy products in China. This visit aims to further deepen agricultural cooperation between China and the Netherlands, bringing more high-quality, safe Dutch agricultural products to Chinese households.
Minister (right) speaks at the symposium
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, opportunities, and challenges of Dutch dairy products, including infant formula, food ingredients, and professional dairy products, in the Chinese market. Minister Erkens praised FrieslandCampina’s achievements in China and acknowledged its positive role in promoting dairy cooperation between China and the Netherlands.
Subsequently, Minister Erkens and his delegation visited the Ole Supermarket in the Guomao area to inspect the shelf placement and sales of Dutch dairy products. They also had a warm face-to-face 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 (right) engages in a warm exchange with consumers
Minister Erkens stated: “High-quality, safe dairy products are a hallmark of the Netherlands’ global reputation. 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 fork’ full supply chain management system. Seeing FrieslandCampina products travel across the ocean and enter countless Chinese households fills me with great honor and pride.”
Looking ahead to future China-Netherlands agricultural cooperation, Minister Erkens expressed positive expectations, hoping to deepen collaboration in agriculture and food sectors to bring more high-quality Dutch agricultural products to more Chinese families and consumers.
Minister (second from left) inspects the market to review the shelf placement and sales of Dutch dairy products
The Netherlands is the second-largest source of dairy imports for China. 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 also the largest source of infant formula imports for China. In 2025, China imported 82,200 tons of infant formula from the Netherlands, representing 37.7% of total imports, a year-on-year increase of 7.2%. Additionally, the Netherlands is a key source for China’s imports of whey, cream, and other products.
FrieslandCampina noted that as a cooperative dairy company, its dairy farmers are both owners and milk suppliers, ensuring product quality and safety from the source. Relying on a “from farm to fork” full supply chain management model, FrieslandCampina adheres to the “naturally nourishing” 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 highly favored by consumers. According to the latest NielsenIQ data, in the first quarter of 2026, in the infant formula market (excluding goat milk formula) covering maternity 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 Black & White evaporated milk, Black & White whole milk, cheese, and butter in the foodservice channel, and supplies dairy ingredients to Chinese food and infant formula manufacturers.
Minister delegation and FrieslandCampina representatives pose for a group photo
Also attending the event were Dutch Deputy Minister for Food Safety, Fisheries, and Horticulture Marten van den Berg, Agricultural Counselor of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to China Erik Smidt, FrieslandCampina Global Director of Public Affairs Koert Verkerk, President of FrieslandCampina Professional Nutrition China Zhang Zhanhong, and Senior Vice President of FrieslandCampina China Yang Guochao, among others.