SINGAPORE, April 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Recently, in an auditorium at the National University of Singapore (NUS), some of the world’s leading neuroscientists gathered to discuss cutting-edge topics in neuroscience and mental health. Among the participants were members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the editor-in-chief of Nature Neuroscience. Just a few hours’ flight away, in a shopping mall on Mindanao Island, a Filipino mother picked up a can of infant formula from the shelf and placed it in her cart.
These two seemingly distant scenes are, in fact, closely connected. Together, they tell the story of how Feihe, China’s largest infant formula producer, is opening the door to Southeast Asia—not simply by exporting products, but by embedding itself in the global research ecosystem that defines those products.
China’s Path with a Global Vision
From March 30 to 31, the “Bridging Minds—2026 Advances in Neurodevelopment and Mental Health” was held at NUS. The summit was jointly organized by the the BCH-Feihe Pediatric Brain Development Initiative, the Neuroscience & Behavioural Disorders Programme at Duke-NUS Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School.
The summit brought together top scholars and experts from nearly 20 world-renowned institutions, including Harvard, Yale, Tsinghua, Fudan, and NUS. As the only Chinese company invited, Feihe played an active role. Feihe Chairman Leng Youbin and Zhang Xuguang, Dean of the Feihe Research Institute, delivered speeches, outlining the company’s exploration and leadership in neuroscience and life cycle nutrition.
This summit in Singapore reflects a deeper trend: in the field of life sciences, global research resources are being reconfigured in unprecedented ways. Traditionally, multinational companies located R&D centers in Europe or North America and then “exported” mature products to emerging markets. Feihe has taken a different path—it conducts foundational research at world-class institutions such as Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital, promotes exchange in Singapore, a key science and research hub in Southeast Asia, and directly translates research findings into products for local consumers.
“We are evolving from learners in global research to active participants—and even definers,” said Feihe Chairman Leng Youbin. This shift is not unique to Feihe. From BYD becoming Singapore’s top-selling electric vehicle brand to POP MART opening its first Southeast Asian flagship store in Singapore, more and more Chinese brands are redefining what it means to “go global”: it is no longer just about exporting products, but also about exporting standards, technology, and even scientific influence.
From Academia to Market: A Complete Value Chain
Feihe’s Southeast Asia strategy is driven by a dual-engine approach: academically, it gathers global expertise through top-tier summits; commercially, it addresses local consumer needs with differentiated products.
As a leading brand in China’s infant formula market, Feihe has ranked No. 1 in sales for seven consecutive years. As the world’s largest infant formula market, China sets a highly demanding benchmark, underscoring Feihe’s strength in product standards, R&D capabilities, and quality assurance.
This leadership stems from Feihe’s ongoing pursuit of “Fresh and Active Nutrition.” Rooted in China’s black soil region and the 47°N golden milk source belt, and supported by a fully integrated supply chain and continuous technological innovation, Feihe uses a “One-Step Fresh Milk Processing” approach, ensuring that fresh milk goes from the pasture to reach the factory within just 2 hours—preserving the milk’s natural active nutrients to the greatest extent possible. This standard is now extending from China to Southeast Asia and beyond.
Singapore, as the host of this summit, carries strategic significance. This “Garden City” is not only Southeast Asia’s economic and financial center but also a global hub for life sciences research. For companies aiming to deepen their presence in Southeast Asia, Singapore is an indispensable “bridgehead.” Hosting a top-tier academic summit here signals that Feihe views Southeast Asia not just as a sales market but as a critical component of its global research ecosystem.
In 2025, Feihe entered Southeast Asia with the Philippines as its first stop, launching the AceKid Activegro. Unlike many formula brands, AceKid Activegro adopts a “One-Step Fresh Milk Processing”, bringing Feihe’s “Fresh and Active Nutrition” standard to Southeast Asia, while containing no added sucrose or maltodextrin—ingredients widely considered to increase the risk of tooth decay, digestive system diseases, diabetes, and kidney burden in children.
Since its launch, AceKid Activegro has entered nearly 500 stores in the Philippines, covering 80% of the country’s high-end retail network. In the first quarter of 2026, estimated revenue grew 275% year-on-year and 245% quarter-on-quarter. Recently, the AceKid Activegro was successfully approved for entry into Indonesia, becoming the first Chinese formula brand authorized in that market.
On the research frontier, Feihe is focusing on the gut–brain axis, a new hotspot in life sciences, exploring the deep link between gut microbiota and brain development. Moving forward, Feihe will be the first in Southeast Asia to launch innovative products based on gut–brain axis research, providing more precise nutrition solutions that meet local consumers’ evolving health expectations.
From No.1 in China to a new choice for the Southeast Asian market, Feihe is bringing the high standards of Chinese dairy to more families in the region. For Southeast Asian mothers, this means one more choice on the shelf—one that is validated by world-class scientific research and well-tailored to local needs. For the global nutrition and health industry, as Chinese companies evolve from learners to definers, a restructuring of the industry landscape is only just beginning.
Beyond Infant Formula: A Chinese Dairy Company’s Global Research Network
Feihe’s research efforts extend far beyond infant formula. The company maintains deep collaborations with over 40 research platforms across seven countries, covering cutting-edge fields such as neuroscience, breast milk studies, raw material innovation, and clinical research.
In China, Feihe leads major research projects, partnering with Peking University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Jiangnan University, and two other top institutions to advance breast milk component studies—transforming from an industry leader to a foundational research organizer. In North America, Feihe established Canada’s first infant formula factory, exporting China’s integrated dairy industry model and production standards to developed countries. This effort goes beyond capacity expansion; it is also an experiment in whether Chinese dairy can help shape global industry standards.
Notably, amid rapid evolution in the global nutrition and health sector, Feihe is transitioning from a formula manufacturer to a milk protein nutrition expert. With the rising demand for adult and sports nutrition, the global need for high-quality proteins like casein is increasing. Focusing on key ingredients such as casein, α-lactalbumin, and lactoferrin, Feihe has 100% in-house production capability for 11 core ingredients, creating its own technological moat. Among these, lactoferrin—dubbed “liquid gold”—is a critical immune-active protein in breast milk and a key component in premium infant formula.
Leveraging breakthroughs in milk protein processing, Feihe is extending infant-grade standards to nutrition across the entire lifecycle. From children’s Supernova Cheese to small-molecule milk protein nutrition powders for middle-aged and elderly consumers, this company, once defined by its focus on “infants and young children” is now applying the same technology and standards to a broader population. Can a Chinese dairy company, emerging from the world’s largest market, leverage its self-developed core technology to secure a position on the global nutrition stage? Feihe’s actions are already providing the answer.
