"There's a new generation of educated, upwardly mobile consumers who are unlocking exciting possibilities for the dairy industry to provide distinctive, convenient and diversified new products," says Dennis Jönsson, president and CEO of Tetra Pak Group, which produces the report.
"Africa's emerging economies and their growing and increasingly prosperous urban populations consume an ever-increasing share of the world's liquid dairy products," says Rae McGraw, the company's marketing director, Southern Africa. "Dairy producers have a unique opportunity, as in developing countries up to 50% of food spoils before it reaches the consumer, according to the report."
The Tetra Pak Dairy Index is an annual report designed to help dairy producers identify new opportunities for growth while offering all industry watchers information on the latest facts, figures and trends related to the global dairy industry.
The latest report also indicates that the focus on food safety and long-term health is expected to sharpen, with educated consumers empowered by communications technology to research the origin and benefits of what they eat and drink. Convenience will be paramount as more of the world's population migrates to big, bustling cities. Mobility, both social and geographic, will shape the demands of consumers.
The report found that global demand for liquid dairy products set to surge by 30% from 2010 to 2020. It also forecasts that by 2014, packaged milk will outsell "loose" milk in the developing world for the first time, as economic growth and city living spur demand for healthy and convenient products. Sustainability will become a central issue as demand for resources puts pressure on the environment and increases the need for technological innovation.
This shift is expected to mark a turning point in white milk consumption for millions of people around the world. Global demand for all forms of liquid dairy products - white milk, flavoured milk, drinking yoghurt, sweetened condensed milk, lactic acid drinks, and baby and toddler milk - will grow from some 270 billion litres in 2010 to 350 billion litres by 2020.
A variety of company and external sources collected the data, which was analysed by the company's dairy market experts. The Dairy Index also includes its analysis of the industry based on its day-to-day work with dairy customers, governments, non-governmental organisations and local communities around the world supporting every aspect of the dairy value chain.
