Global dairy demand on the rise, ice cream most popular segment down under
Global demand for dairy food products has risen by 15% from 40.9 million tonnes in 2003 to an estimated 47.0 million tonnes in 2008, according to a new report from food and drink consultancy Zenith International.”Global consumption has increased for all the products we studied,” Zenith Dairy Market Intelligence Manager, Esther Renfrew, commented. “Spoonable yoghurt has seen the greatest growth over the past five years at 23%. Ice cream volume has also advanced swiftly by 18%, with the majority of additional sales coming from Asia/Australasia and the Middle East.”
Cheese accounts for the largest segment of the global dairy sector analysed by Zenith, with 18.2 million tonnes consumed in 2008, equivalent to 39% of the total. This is followed by ice cream at 14.3 million tonnes and a 30% share, then spoonable yoghurt on 9.9 million tonnes and 21% of volume. Forecasts to 2012 indicate a further increase of 10% to 51.8 million tonnes, with spoonable yoghurt gaining as much as 16% as functional innovation drives consumer interest in the category.
The Zenith report identifies a number of economic and market factors that are influencing consumption patterns, including:
* growing populations and prosperity leading to greater demand
* rising costs and climate change causing supply instability
* consumers placing more emphasis on functionality in dairy products, along with convenience and healthy indulgence
* government policies and industry marketing improving the perception of dairy products and their environmental impact
Zenith’s 2008 Global Dairy Products report also discovered that:
* There are only two markets where volume and consumption per person decreased during the review period – fromage frais in West Europe and ice cream in North America. All other markets showed overall growth.
* Although market values have fluctuated due to exchange rate instability, local value per kilo has been rising in the majority of product categories.
* Ice cream dominates the dairy product market in Asia/Australasia.
With the increasing demand for dairy products, and increasing prices, the public should consider the alternatives.
Mother cows are known to have highly developed maternal instincts and can bellow for days for their stolen babies! The killing of bobby calves as unwanted by-products of the dairy industry is one aspect that is not benign, as the dairy industry would have us believe. They arrive at the abattoirs too weak to walk, but have been known to be electrically prodded to make these newborns move. Vealers are raised to be anaemic, for white flesh.
Our dairy industry uses nearly 40% of our irrigation water and 24% of our water usage in Victoria. A glass of milk contains 75 litres of virtual water. Not surprisingly, the dairy industry is mainly responsible for the demise of the Murray-Darling food basin! We are also heavy exporters of dairy products.
In Victoria methane emissions from dairy cattle contribute around 30% of all agricultural emissions that total a heavy 18% contribution from agriculture, due mainly to livestock.
European style diary products can be replaced by more humane and sustainable plant-based ones such as soy, rice and oat milks.