The万能驼乳粉 in live streaming, the misrepresented "golden milk"

Source: Beijing Business Today Author: Kong Wenshe Web Editor: Tao Feng

As living standards improve and health awareness increases, consumers’ demands for milk powder quality have gone beyond taste and nutrition, reaching a pursuit of targeted nutritional supplementation. Camel milk and its products, rich in high vitamin C, iron, and insulin-like factors, are gaining popularity. Camel milk powder made primarily from raw camel milk is called “golden milk” and has become a favorite among middle-aged and elderly consumers. On February 8, 2026, the one-year transition period for the new national standard for milk powder, “Food Safety National Standard for Milk Powder and Reconstituted Milk Powder” (GB 19644—2024), ended. To further understand the current camel milk market, Beijing Business Today investigated camel milk powder on e-commerce platforms and found that despite explosive demand, chaos persists, and industry regulation urgently needs strengthening.

The “Fourth” Ingredient on the Label

Imported directly, exclusive to Dubai sheikh, desert “gold” you can drink…

Before March 15, Beijing Business Today searched for “camel milk powder” on a certain e-commerce platform. The various promotional slogans dazzled consumers. The investigation revealed that many “camel milk powders” on the platform are inconsistent with their claims, priced from dozens to hundreds of yuan.

In a store called “Camel Treasure Food Flagship Store,” a popular product called “Selenium-rich Probiotic Camel Milk Nutritional Powder” is sold at 88 yuan per 1kg can, with a three-can bundle as low as 59 yuan per can. This product has sold over 10,000 units online, ranking fourth on the camel milk powder bestseller list. Also on the list is another product from the same store, “Calcium Probiotic Camel Milk Nutritional Powder,” with over 30,000 units sold.

The packaging of “Camel Treasure” features a double-humped camel image, which at first glance looks like “camel milk powder,” but in small print next to it, the product category is “Sports Nutrition Food (Energy Supplement).” Many consumers in the reviews bought it as camel milk powder.

How much camel milk is in “Camel Milk Nutritional Powder”? The Beijing Business Today reporter learned that the top three ingredients listed are whey powder, milk-based base powder, and isomaltooligosaccharide, with full-fat camel milk powder listed only in the fourth position.

According to the “Food Safety National Standard for Milk Powder and Reconstituted Milk Powder” (GB 19644—2024), effective from February 8, 2025, the definition of raw materials has been expanded from “raw cow (sheep) milk” to “raw milk.” Milk powders from yak, camel, donkey, and horse, produced by specialty dairy animals, are also included in the national standard system. The standard stipulates that reconstituted milk powder must primarily use a single breed’s raw milk or dairy products, and added ingredients must not include other types of dairy products. The milk solids content from the main raw material must be at least 70%. Whether the “full-fat camel milk powder” in the “Camel Treasure” product label meets this standard is questionable.

The store selling “Camel Treasure” claims to be an “Authentic Xinjiang Official Flagship Store.” However, the business license shows its operator as “Guangzhou Debo Lai Biotechnology Co., Ltd.” Tianyancha indicates that the company was established in 2017 and mainly engaged in technology promotion and application services. The actual controller registered a company called “Xinjiang Desert Camel Treasure Brand Management Co., Ltd.,” which was canceled in 2025 after being listed as “operating abnormally.”

The Beijing Business Today reporter also found that similar phenomena are common in imported camel milk powders. For example, DNG Overseas Flagship Store sells a product called “DHA Probiotic Selenium-rich Full-fat Camel Milk Powder,” claiming to be imported from the U.S., priced at 131.94 yuan for 430g.

When asked by customer service about the main ingredients, the reporter learned that the product contains 38% full-fat camel milk powder, 15% de-salted whey powder, and 13% concentrated whey protein powder, totaling 66%. The customer service representative said, “De-salted whey powder and concentrated whey protein are extracted from cow’s milk.” However, according to the standard GB 19644—2024, camel milk powder must be made from “single-source” raw camel milk, and other ingredients must not include dairy from other species. The ingredients in this product—whey powder and concentrated whey protein—are from cow’s milk, which conflicts with the “single-source” requirement.

DNG (De An Jian) claims on its official website to have been founded in Hong Kong, aiming to develop into an innovative, research-driven large-scale health brand. DNG is a well-known brand of dietary supplements in the Asia-Pacific region, with products including NMN, hirudin, ginsenosides, artemisinin, and human immune globulin. In other words, camel milk powder may not be DNG’s main expertise.

The Beijing Business Today reporter sent an interview request via email to DNG but has not received a reply as of publication.

The “Universal Niche Milk” in Live Broadcasts

In recent years, niche milks like camel milk have become popular, with various slogans on social media, e-commerce, and live streaming platforms, leading many consumers to be deceived.

In March 2025, consumers filed complaints on the Black Cat Complaint Platform against “Gu Zhanggui” camel milk, accusing it of “selling food as health supplements, selling health supplements as medicines, exaggerating product efficacy, unclear ingredients, high prices, and misleading consumers.”

The reporter visited Gu Zhanggui’s live broadcast room and found signs of promotional claims of efficacy, with abbreviations like “sugar,” “pressure,” “fat,” and words like “immune boost” and “insomnia,” implying suitability for “three highs” (hypertension, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia) and “low immunity” groups. Some products sold in the live room exceeded 100,000 units.

Gu Zhanggui claims to be “the number one in camel milk product sales for three consecutive years,” but the business license shows its name as “Zhengzhou Tutu Ge Food Co., Ltd.” Tianyancha indicates the company was established in 2026.

Public information states that camel milk powder is made from camel milk, rich in high-quality protein, calcium, iron, and various active components, which can help boost immunity. It contains unique lactoferrin and lysozyme, making its nutritional value higher than ordinary milk powder, earning it the nickname “gold in milk.”

Regarding claims that camel milk powder can treat “three highs,” Zhong Kai, director of the Food and Health Information Center, believes that camel milk powder only has higher content of some components, is easy to absorb, and has no special nutritional benefits.

A senior nutrition industry expert told the Beijing Business Today reporter that “camel milk powder has lower lactose content, making it suitable for those with lactose intolerance or needing to control sugar intake. Its fats are mostly unsaturated fatty acids, which are healthier. But these are just nutritional advantages for certain groups, not cures.”

Some research reports also warn that high protein intake from camel milk powder may burden the kidneys and cause gastrointestinal discomfort like bloating and diarrhea. People allergic to camel milk should avoid consumption.

Questionable Low Prices

With increased regulation of milk powder and reconstituted milk powder, marketing chaos persists, such as using “GB 19640” standards, with camel milk content below 70%, or mixing in whey protein or oats as main ingredients. Despite clear new standards, some merchants still take risks.

“Because camel milk production is low, mixing cow’s milk or adding whey powder and milk-based base powders to imitate pure camel milk powder is an industry secret,” said industry insider A Yuan (pseudonym). There are mainly two types of camel milk powder: one is pure or raw camel milk powder, with 100% organic raw camel milk listed on the label, no additives—generally trustworthy; the other is formulated camel milk powder, also called reconstituted, which is more prone to adulteration.

Senior dairy analyst Song Liang told the Beijing Business Today that “the camel milk market has been very chaotic recently, with many counterfeit and inferior products circulating.”

In 2022, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimated there are about 20 million camels worldwide, producing only 5.4 million tons of milk annually, most of which is consumed by young camels. In China, camels are mainly raised in free-range or semi-free-range systems with long cycles. The booming demand far exceeds the supply from farms. Some dairy companies’ reported annual or quarterly sales and growth rates are inconsistent with actual breeding scale and production.

For example, domestic adult milk powder costs about 70–80 yuan for 800g, while imported adult milk powder costs 100–160 yuan for the same amount. In contrast, the so-called “No. 1 in camel milk sales nationwide,” Original Gold, sells a 330g reconstituted camel milk powder for as much as 338 yuan per can. Many low-priced camel milk powders are often associated with consumer traps.

Song Liang calculated that the cost of camel milk powder includes raw materials, processing, packaging, and transportation. Normally, 8kg of fresh camel milk can produce 1kg of milk powder. Based on an average price of 38 yuan per kg of fresh camel milk in 2024 (higher in winter, lower in summer), the cost of 1kg of camel milk powder is about 304 yuan. Processing costs are roughly 6,000–8,000 yuan per ton, plus packaging and transportation, making the cost of a 330g can around 150–200 yuan.

Another dairy industry insider estimated that a 330g can of formulated camel milk powder, with 30% full-fat camel milk, might cost only a few dozen yuan.

Lawyer Tu Panyue from Shanghai Guangming (Hefei) Law Firm stated that camel milk powder is essentially a regular nutritional dairy product. Its nutrients only serve as dietary supplements for specific groups and do not have disease prevention, improvement, or treatment effects. It cannot be equated with health products or medicines. There is no authoritative medical data proving its nutritional value is significantly different from cow or sheep milk. Therefore, claims that it contains ingredients suitable for “three highs” or other special groups should be approached with caution.

Tu Panyue added that according to the “Advertising Law of the People’s Republic of China” and the “Implementation Regulations of the Food Safety Law,” ordinary foods (including reconstituted camel milk powder) without “blue hat” health food certification cannot claim or imply health functions, nor mention disease prevention or treatment effects. Any claims like “suitable for three highs,” “improving osteoporosis,” or “regulating spleen and stomach” that suggest disease treatment are illegal advertising. Some products confuse “reconstituted camel milk powder” with “pure camel milk powder,” exaggerate ingredient content, fabricate nutritional benefits, or falsely label contents, which not only involves false advertising but also product quality fraud, severely infringing consumer rights.

Tu Panyue emphasized that whether traditional cow milk powder or camel milk powder, their core value is to supplement daily nutrition, not cure diseases. The root cause of market chaos is some merchants exploiting consumer health anxieties for illegal promotion. Strict regulation is necessary. Consumers should look for the new national standards and make rational choices.

“Before relevant standards are issued, chaos is even worse. Now that standards exist, enforcement is limited, leading to frequent disorder. With ongoing attention and supervision, the industry may move toward normalization, professionalism, and branding,” said Zhu Danpeng, a food industry analyst.

Beijing Business Today Reporter: Kong Wenshe