TIANJIN - After a series of scandals shook consumers' confidence in recent years, Chinese dairy companies have begun to invest heavily in labs meant to hold their products to a high standard.

Experts said it was very likely that consumers were paying for this work.

Wang Dingmian, chairman of the Guangzhou Dairy Association, said many experts and dairy businesses spoke at the 2011 China Dairy Development Forum, which began on Oct 23, about the increasing price of consumer products and about expensive lab costs.