The company has conducted research into the breast milk of Chinese mothers for the past 16 years and collected data on the nutritional components of milk sources to build the first breast milk database.

Sales of its formula have ranked first for four consecutive years in the domestic market.

Currently, Yili Group is the largest dairy producer in Asia, and the eighth largest in the world. It secured the top spot once again among food companies on the BrandZ list of Top 100 Most Valuable Chinese Brands for 2017, according to marketing communications group WPP.

"The era of quality-oriented consumption is upon us," said Zhang.

According to a recent forecast, by 2020, China will replace the United States as the largest consumer market in the world. Changing consumption patterns in China are set to shape the global consumer market.