When Mengniu had financial trouble as the result of business following its role in the 2008 Chinese milk scandal, in July 2009, Mengniu sold a 20% stake to a consortium led by the state-owned COFCO Group, China's largest importer and exporter of food.

[2]: 218 The company is a leading manufacturer of milk, yogurt and other dairy products in mainland China, partly due to its high-profile advertising campaigns.

[9] Mengniu's CFO attempted to reassure consumers by offering a no-quibble refund on all products, and by drinking liquid milk in front of reporters.

This comment spurred accusations on Internet bulletin boards that the company's preferential export policies was because it thought Chinese lives were cheaper than foreigners'.

[10] On 17 September 2008, Hong Kong Stock Exchange[11] suspended trading in shares of China Mengniu Dairy Co. Ltd.

In 2011 Mengniu Dairy stated that moldy cattle feed led to excessive toxin levels in its milk.

[13][14][15] After the company's products tested positive for melamine, CEO Peder Tuborgh, Arla Foods, said: "The situation is extremely distressing for all the families who need milk of the highest quality to feed their children.

It is extremely important that we get to the bottom of the problem so that consumers' safety can be guaranteed and confidence in the Chinese dairy industry maintained, together with Mengniu and the authorities, we're doing everything we can to safeguard quality.