Yili surpasses EU raw milk standards after more than 20 years

In 2001, Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group set out to match and then exceed the European Union's raw milk benchmarks. 

Yili built standardized milk collection stations and ranch zones in an effort to scale up modern dairy farming. In 2005, it was selected as the official dairy supplier for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Yili's dairy farm. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The company has earned a number of major international certifications. In 2014, all its business lines obtained FSSC 22000 certification. Its powder division received the food industry's first QbD (Quality by Design) certification in 2020. It passed the dairy Gold Standard verification in 2022 and began the BRCGS Issue 9 audit in early 2023.

Yili expert team provides free technical guidance. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Since 2023, raw milk from Yili partner ranches averages under 10,000 colony-forming units/milliliter (EU cap: 100,000 CFU/mL), and somatic cell counts average less than 140,000/mL (EU cap: 400,000/mL). Gilles Froment, president of the International Dairy Federation, recognized Yili's world-class quality controls in 2026.

Yili is a leading in developing China's dairy industry, which joined the global top tier during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period.