German consumer embraces special milk

Organic milk, meadow milk, hay milk, regional milk and lactose-free milk. These are just a few of the special types of milk that can be found in German supermarkets. German consumers are increasingly willing to pay for special product properties and that is a trend that will continue in 2018, according to the German market agency AMI. Meanwhile, half of all milk is already GMO-free.

FrieslandCampina is working on the top-line dairy, and for good reason. In Germany, one of the Netherlands' most important trading partners, consumers are increasingly embracing dairy products with special properties. The AMI reports that a growing demand from the retail sector for dairy with special properties was observed in the past year. 

More about added value
In addition to the trend that more dairy products with special properties end up on the shelf, consumers are increasingly willing to pay more for them. "The latest figures for the first quarter of 2018 show that this trend has continued," the AMI said.

Milk that is produced without the use of products that are genetically modified (GMO) (the so-called VLOG standard) occupies a special position within the milk flows. "Almost half of all German milk is GMO-free," says the AMI. "GMO-free has meanwhile developed into the standard for many players in the market.

"The production of milk, according to the VLOG standard, is boosted by paying a premium. In Germany, according to the AMI, this is between €0,80 and €1,50 per 100 kilos. offered without premium." A difference with the Netherlands, where GMO-free milk is only just introduced or is still in a pilot phase.

Organic share growing
GMO-free milk also includes organic milk, which must meet this requirement in any case. A segment that is growing rapidly in size; as showed the supply of organic milk an increase of 2018% in the first quarter of 28,9 (compared to the first quarter of 2017).

It brings the supply to 274.581 tons of milk, increasing the share to 3,4% of the total milk pool. The production of organic butter increased by 20,9% and the production of organic cheese recorded an increase of 18,5%.

Photo: Cineberg / Shutterstock.com

Herman van den Pol

Herma van den Pol has been with us since 2011 Boerenbusiness and has developed over the years into a market expert Milk & Feed. In addition, she can be seen weekly in the market flash about the dairy market.

h.vandenpol@boerenbusiness. Nl

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