Funds to boost Chinese-made formula

A Beijing foundation is offering financial support to develop milk powder tailored for Chinese infants, Beijing Morning Post reported on Nov 11.

The Beijing Natural Science Foundation will provide 1 million yuan ($164,000) for related research, the report said.

Chinese rely heavily on imported formulas, which are made based on the physical characteristics of foreigners and aren't completely suitable for Chinese people, the report said.

Currently, however, there is no systematic study on Chinese breast milk, which is important to determine what the infants need in milk powder, said Yang Yuexin, director of the Chinese Nutrition Society.