China's Yili wins innovation award at World Dairy Summit

Chinese dairy giant Yili has won the International Dairy Federation's (IDF) innovation award, IDF announced on Friday.

The announcement came at the 2024 World Dairy Summit in Paris. Yili won the award in the category of new product development, with focus on food safety and consumer nutrition.

The IDF Dairy Innovation Awards have nine categories, and this year Yili Group was nominated in four. It won with its product Satine Active Lactoferrin Organic Pure Milk, in recognition of its breakthrough in directional lactoferrin extraction and protection technology.

Speaking to Xinhua, president of the jury for this year's IDF Innovation Awards Caroline Edmond said that China is a strong presence in the context of innovation for the global dairy sector.

"Year after year, since we have introduced the innovation, we see great participation from the Chinese community ... innovation is important," she said.

Edmond added that she looked forward to seeing more Chinese companies presenting their innovation projects in the future.

Delegates at the summit also signed the Paris Dairy Declaration on Sustainability, to promote the green and sustainable development of the global dairy industry.

As a signatory of the declaration, executive president of Yili Group Liu Chunxi said the declaration reflects the desire of the humanity to have a sustainable development in the dairy industry and to protect the planet.

The 2024 World Dairy Summit began on Tuesday in Paris, drawing experts, scholars, and industry leaders from across the globe to discuss the latest trends, as well as the future of the dairy sector.