Changing trends in milk consumption

Consumer Demands

Changing trends in the demand for milk and milk products include:

Increased preference for lower fat content lines.
The development of national brands.
Growing interest in UHT (long-life) lines.
As Government regulation in this sector is reduced, there is likely to be increased marketing effort by individual milk processors.

In line with international trends, there has been a general trend toward increased cheese and whole milk powder production ie allowing manufacturers to lessen dependence on butter and skim milk powder.

However, the ability to shift toward cheese and whole milk powder is influenced by total manufacturing milk availability and market opportunities.

The Australian dairy industry manufactures high-quality dairy goods for domestic consumption and export. Around 80% of Australia's milk is used by dairy manufacturers to make a wide selection of dairy products. Around 7 billion litres of milk was processed into dairy products in 1996/97, with the focus on butter, cheese and milk powders. More recently, however, manufacturers have increased production of specialty and short-shelf life products in response to changing consumer demands.

There has also been increased production of whey powders and whey protein concentrates. This reflects environmental concerns and increased interest in the specialist food ingredient market. Increased interest in the food ingredient sector is reflected in increased new product development and modifications. (source - Australian Dairy Industry 1998)

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