Kerry's formula for China

IRISH TRADE delegations have emphasised the important role played by the food industry in boosting links with China, and Kerry Group has been a national flag bearer in this sector.

Last week, Kerry signed a partnership deal with China’s leading domestic baby formula brand Beingmate to supply dairy ingredients for the infant nutrition sector in China.

“It’s a co-operation agreement that builds on Ireland’s reputation for high-quality sustainable material, and this is a partnership to capitalise on premium market requirements for infant nutrition,” said Kerry spokesman Frank Hayes.

The partnership provides strong export growth opportunities for added value dairy ingredients from Kerry’s dairy processing facilities in Charleville in Co Cork and Listowel in Co Kerry.

Kerry has been supplying Beingmate with dairy products for a number of years, particularly from its facility in Malaysia, and Hayes described the firm as “a very well established company in meeting the requirements for infant nutrition”.

The deal marks a significant achievement, because the infant nutrition market is an extremely sensitive one in China.

The sector has been under intense regulatory scrutiny, especially since 2008, when infant formula laced with the industrial chemical melamine killed at least six children and made nearly 300,000 ill.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Simon Coveney, who led a large trade mission to China earlier this year, said the deal was a further important step in the development of Ireland’s trade with the world’s second-largest economy and was built on the strong international reputation of Ireland as a producer of the highest quality foodstuffs.