Infant formula's in the mail as Chinese consumers buy online

Beijing

AS Chinese consumers fret about whether locally produced infant formula is safe, the Dutch postal service has a burgeoning new line of business: exporting milk powder to China.

Dried milk has become one of the main items customers send to China via PostNL NV, helping drive a 13 per cent increase in fourth-quarter parcel shipments, The Hague, Netherlands-based mail delivery company said on Feb 23. Danone makes infant formula under the Nutrilon brand in that country, while Mead Johnson Nutrition Co has been increasing Dutch production to help supply China, which consumed a third of the industry's US$62 billion in global sales last year.

PostNL's success is emblematic of a worldwide boom in the flow of baby food to China in quantities that range from single cans sold via Amazon.com Inc to 25-tonne orders through suppliers on Alibaba.com. Since a 2008 infant formula scandal that hospitalised 50,000 babies, the Chinese have sought out foreign-made brands. That's accelerating now with the development of online marketplace sites such …