In major supermarkets across Beijing, various brands of "high-calcium milk" are available. Through interviews, reporters found that although high-calcium milk is slightly more expensive than regular milk, it remains the first choice for many citizens.
Is "high-calcium milk" really worth such favor? Relevant experts conducted tests on milk from supermarkets. They purchased various brands of boxed milk from the market and determined their nutritional content using standard methods. The protein content met the labels and was even slightly higher. According to national standards, the protein content should be greater than or equal to 2.9%, while the actual measured data was 3.0% to 3.1%. The fat content was similarly slightly higher than the labeled value.
The key issue lies in the calcium content. The calcium content in 100 grams of regular milk ranges from 102 to 107 milligrams. And what about high-calcium milk? It ranges from 109 to 112 milligrams. However, the packaging clearly states that the calcium content reaches 130 to 140 milligrams, with some even claiming no less than 150 milligrams.
Associate Professor Fan Zhihong from the College of Food Science at China Agricultural University said that adding a large amount of calcium to milk is technically challenging, as there is a delicate balance between protein and calcium. Artificially increasing the calcium content can easily destabilize the protein system. This means that true "high-calcium milk" brought home by consumers should have its proteins react easily when heated, forming a certain white precipitate and a texture that is not as fresh or sweet as regular milk. However, the several types of "high-calcium milk" purchased on the market showed basically no difference in taste after heating compared to regular milk.
A survey result shows that people who buy high-calcium milk are often those who know little about the nutritional value of milk. In fact, milk and yogurt are already rich in calcium and can be considered high-calcium foods. Moreover, drinking one or two cartons of regular milk daily can meet an adult's daily calcium requirements.
Many consumers have the misconception that only foods with added calcium can supplement calcium. Businesses also exploit consumers' lack of understanding of natural and efficient calcium-supplementing foods by deliberately labeling some products as "high-calcium." As for the effectiveness of calcium supplementation, there has been no scientific data to confirm it to this day.
By this logic, if adding calcium during food production can be called a "high-calcium food," then should gypsum tofu and bittern tofu all be renamed "high-calcium tofu" or "high-calcium, high-magnesium tofu"?
The immediate priority for consumers is to understand which natural calcium-supplementing foods are available and to scientifically and rationally supplement their bodies' calcium needs, instead of blindly pursuing the "high-calcium" label. Dairy products and soy products are the most efficient calcium-supplementing foods.