White milk market recovers from 2009 decline - BMi

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The white milk market is a stable market with little change across channels. Retail remains the dominant channel at almost two-thirds distribution share.

On a regional level, the three metropolitan regions Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, combined, receive just over 60% of production, with the two main milk producing provinces, KwaZulu-Natal (21.0%) and Eastern Cape (15.1%), retaining 36.1% of produced milk.

Rigid plastic and long life cartons are the two most commonly used packaging types for milk in South Africa, holding quantities in the hundreds of million litres. Short life cartons are exiting the market.

Definitions

White milk is divided into several categories:

• Pasteurised milk is heated to a temperature of 72.5 C and the temperature is maintained for 30 minutes. The milk is then quickly cooled to a temperature of 4 C. The heating of the milk kills all of the bacteria in the milk and the rapid cooling process prevents the proliferation of new bacteria. Pasteurised milk stays fresh for longer, provided it is kept chilled.
  
• ESL milk is a sub-category of pasteurised milk. It undergoes an extra microbial filtration process and lower temperatures. The modified processing method makes the product taste better and last longer
  
• Sterilised milk is heated to a temperature above boiling point for a short time and then cooled down to room temperature. Because of this process, all the bacteria are destroyed and the milk will remain fresh for long periods, if it is stored in a sealed container. Once the container is opened, the milk will go sour as quickly as pasteurised milk.
  
• Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) milk is treated to last for long periods without refrigeration. The milk goes through a process called homogenisation to distribute the milk fat content evenly throughout its liquid content, thereby preventing the milk fat, which is lighter than the rest of the milk, rising to the top of the milk. The milk is then heated to a very high temperature of almost 140 C for a period of 2 to 4 seconds then immediately cooled down to a temperature of 20 C. The heating process kills all bacteria present in the milk and, if the milk remains sealed, once it has been specially packed, it will remain fresh for many months without refrigeration.

Channel Distribution of White Milk - 2011 (includes exports)

Local Regional Distribution of White Milk - 2011 (excludes exports)

White Milk Total Market Value - 2011

BMI Research: Consumer Division offers annual tracking reports, in store observation services (ISOS), print ads promotional pricing and share of spend, liquor in store pricing (LISP), consumer research and commissioned research. For more information, go to www.bmi.co.za.