Milkticulous moms take on the AceKid Activegro & Altigro journey

 Five milkticulous moms visit the source of their children’s milk. Photo source: FEIHE 

Most parents spend time comparing nutrition labels before choosing milk for their children. They look at the vitamins, minerals, and ingredients, hoping every glass helps support their child’s growth and development.  

Yet one question is rarely asked. 

Have you ever turned the can around to read the ingredient list? Looking beyond the front of the packaging may reveal what goes into your child’s milk. One important detail parents may look for is whether fresh milk appears as the first ingredient, as this reflects the quality of the milk used from the very beginning. 

Understanding what is listed on the back label is one way parents may become “milkticulous” about choosing milk that helps support their child’s growth and development. 

For “milk-ticulous” moms Ava Diaz-Daza, Roxanne Luz, Diana De Castro, Alyzza Agustin, and Kelly Misa, curiosity became an opportunity to look beyond the label. Their journey as milk-ticulous moms brought them to China’s Heilongjiang Province, where they traced the milk of FEIHE, an international dairy company, from the source all the way to the finished can.  

To fully experience and understand what goes into their children’s milk formula, they met the people and understood the science and technology behind every serving of milk they give their children.  

For parents, being milkticulous goes beyond choosing a trusted brand. It means knowing how the milk is produced, where it comes from, and the standards followed every step of the way.  

That journey began long before the milk reached the can.  

Red-crowned cranes take residence in Zhalong Wetland which has the ideal temperature, all-year round. Moreover, its lush greenery provides a good habitat for the national treasure. Photo source: Sunshine Mortel, ABS-CBN News  The moms first visited Zhalong Wetland in northeastern China, home to one of the country’s most important nature reserves and the iconic red-crowned crane, a national treasure whose presence signals a thriving ecosystem.   

Located along the 47 degrees north latitude, the region is widely known as the “Golden Milk Source Belt” or “Golden Milk Region,” an area recognized for producing high-quality dairy because of its unique natural conditions.  

Rich black soil, naturally alkaline mineral water, long hours of sunshine, and dramatic seasonal temperature changes create nutrient-rich grasslands that provide an ideal environment not only for the country’s beloved red-crowned crane but moreover, for dairy cows. Winters may reach below minus 40 degrees Celsius while summers remain warm, naturally reducing bacteria and pests and allowing high-quality forage to flourish.  

Visiting every corner of the vast wetlands, the milk-ticulous moms saw firsthand why the region has become one of the world’s premier dairy-producing locations. The pristine landscape offered a glimpse into the environment where FEIHE sources the fresh milk used in AceKid Activegro and Altigro.  

The visit also reinforced an important realization: high-quality milk begins long before production starts. It begins with healthy cows raised in the right environment.  

The next stop brought the moms to Longjiang Jinyuan Ranch, one of FEIHE’s self-owned dairy farms.  

Unlike many milk brands that source milk from different suppliers, FEIHE manages its own farms, ranches, and manufacturing facilities. This integrated system allows the company to oversee every stage of production, from the food that the cows eat, caring for the cows, to processing the milk and delivering the finished product.  

The ranch the moms visited is operated by Jinyuan Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd., a modern dairy company established in 2019 in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province. Located in the internationally recognized 47° North Golden Milk Source Belt, the facility is one of FEIHE’s 13 large-scale dairy farms producing premium raw milk. Across its dairy facilities, FEIHE operates with 150,000 dairy cows, producing approximately 65,000 tons of fresh milk every year.  

Hectare of land had planted crops such as cornmeal, beet, oats, malt and other crops that are the sources of food of the cows.   

Walking through the ranch, the moms saw how technology helps support animal welfare. The ranch follows a philosophy of “raising healthy cows and producing high-quality milk.” From forage cultivation and dairy cow nurturing to fresh milk production, every stage is monitored under a full-process quality supervision and traceability system. This allows every batch of milk to be tracked from its source through production, reinforcing FEIHE’s commitment to food safety and quality.  

Each cow wears an electronic collar that functions much like a fitness tracker, monitoring its health and activity throughout the day. Ear tags serve as identification cards, allowing caretakers to look after each animal individually. The cows are milked twice a day and while those who are waiting to do their work or are resting may roam around freely and listen to classical music in the barn to prevent the cows from getting stressed. While young calves are sheltered in their own clean individual homes designed to support healthy growth until they are ready to provide milk.  

Fresh milk collected from the cows immediately enters a sealed cold-chain transport system maintained at 4 degrees Celsius before making the short trip to the nearby factory.

The cows that produce milk are taken care of in a safe, clean, and stress-free environment for the best milk quality possible. Photo source: Sunshine Mortel, ABS-CBN News 

Inside FEIHE’s Smart Factory, the five moms followed every stage of production, watching fresh milk transform into powdered milk through an advanced one-step process designed to help preserve nutrients.  

Their first stop was the Fresh Milk Pre-treatment Workshop. Here, the milk undergoes several purification stages. High-speed centrifuges remove impurities and microorganisms before precision filtration provides another layer of purification. Gentle pasteurization follows, using temperatures of only 75 degrees to 85 degrees Celsius for 15 seconds to help eliminate harmful microbes while helping preserve freshness and nutrition.  

Rather than relying on periodic quality checks, FEIHE uses an Al Intelligent Eye System that monitors the entire production process in real time. Twenty-four digital screens inside the Central Control Room continuously track production down to the millisecond, helping ensure quality consistency and complete traceability from beginning to end.  

The moms watched every stage unfold before their eyes. Every step demonstrated the brand’s commitment to transparency.  

One of the biggest takeaways from the visit was learning that fresh milk is the first ingredient in AceKid Activegro and Altigro’s formula.  

The factory’s one-step freshness process allows fresh milk to be transformed into powder in two hours after milking, minimizing repeated heat treatments that may affect sensitive nutrients such as Vitamins B and C, Lysine, and Lactoferrin.  

The process begins with vacuum evaporation, where water is removed at low temperatures before the milk enters the facility’s towering 38-meter spray drying system. In 1.2 seconds, concentrated milk is transformed into fine powder.   

Spray drying the fresh milk at 60 degrees to 65 degrees helps enable the milk to keep most of its nutrients. Photo source: Sunshine Mortel, ABS-CBN News  Unlike conventional spray drying, which often uses temperatures reaching around 80-90 degrees Celsius, FEIHE uses a gentle process at only 60 degrees to 65 degrees Celsius. This lower-temperature process helps retain the milk’s naturally occurring nutrients. 

Milk-ticulous moms get a taste of the raw milk right from the farm. Photo source: FEIHE  The moms also learned that every batch is automatically measured and monitored, ensuring precise nutritional composition from one can to another.   

One fact surprised many of the moms – FEIHE owns both the ranch and the factory, the milk travels only a short distance before processing. 

FEIHE’s fully integrated industrial milk chain is situated within the Heilongjiang Province of China, with its ranches and factories situated within Harbin and Qiqihar. Since the ranch is located within approximately one hour of the manufacturing facility, the milk is expected to retain its natural freshness before processing begins. This short distance is one of AceKid Activegro and Altigro’s biggest advantages. 

FEIHE products are available in the Philippines through leading stores in Visayas and Mindanao, and e-commerce stores. Photo source: FEIHE  Nutrition is only part of the story. Accessibility also matters for parents raising growing families.  

AceKid Altigro combines fresh milk and lactoferrin in one formula.  

The visit also highlighted FEIHE’s decades-long commitment to dairy innovation.   

Founded in 1962, FEIHE has built its expertise in dairy nutrition through decades of experience in milk and formula manufacturing. . This commitment to quality is reflected not only in its products, but also in its manufacturing practices. In 2023, FEIHE received recognition from SGS China for its good manufacturing practices for milk and children’s formula food, as well as its Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system, underscoring the company’s focus on maintaining rigorous standards across its production processes.

Beyond manufacturing, FEIHE has also earned recognition for its approach to product innovation and taste. This year, its products in the Philippines were conferred the Superior Taste Award in Brussels, Belgium, further reflecting the company’s efforts to combine nutritional considerations with taste and product quality.

For Ava Diaz-Daza, Roxanne Luz, Diana De Castro, Alyzza Agustin, and Kelly Misa, the journey to China’s Golden Milk Region offered something every parent hopes for.  

Confidence that they had seen exactly where their children’s milk comes from.   

Confidence that the cows are raised in a clean, carefully managed environment.  

Confidence that every can is backed by science, innovation, and rigorous quality control.  

The experience showed that being milk-ticulous is more than comparing nutrition labels inside a supermarket. It is about understanding the complete journey behind every glass of milk.  

From the lush grasslands of the 47° North Golden Milk Region to the highly automated smart factory, every step demonstrated FEIHE’s commitment to transparency, allowing parents to see for themselves how AceKid Activegro and Altigro’s fresh milk formula is carefully produced from farm to can.  

For these five moms, that transparency made all the difference. Sometimes, the best way to know what goes into a child’s milk is to follow the journey all the way back to where it begins.