Task force suggests efficiency improvements

UK – The Milk Task Force, set up in December 2000 to study and report on the dairy sector, has identified functional foods as an area offering considerable opportunity.

The 11 strong panel, with the task of identifying areas in which greater efficiencies could be obtained, has recommended research into the potential for functional dairy foods. It has also recommended research into the nature and volume of different dairy products currently used within the food service market and says the industry must make predictions about future opportunities and requirements.

The task force, set up by then minister of agriculture, fisheries and food Nick Brown, includes Terrig Morgan, chairman of the National Farmers’ Union, Jim Begg, director of the Dairy Industry Federation, and Chris Bird, managing director of Zenith Milk and vice president of the Dairy Council.

The group also discussed quotas, an area which they suggested the UK government keeps under review to ensure that the system is made as flexible as possible. This might mean making it possible to break the link with the land and to impose a minimum usage rule. It agreed that any reform of the CAP milk regime must take into account developments in the world market.

In terms of consumer trends, the task force recommended efforts to stem or even reverse the decrease in liquid milk consumption by emphasising an accurate perception of the fat content and other nutritional attributes of milk. It also recommended a review of existing labelling rules to avoid confusion about where a product originated.

Other suggestions included an increase in communication between supermarkets and their suppliers, further and better co-ordination of school milk activities by all sector interests and research into the growth prospects and competitive dynamics of the EU cheese market.

In a statement the task force said: “We were conscious throughout our meetings that the task force itself was not in a position to achieve any increase in efficiency or value for the dairy industry. The onus is on individuals, companies and trade organisations to take action to improve their own businesses and to develop their products. We can at most have only an indirect influence on this and have focused on what the industry as a whole, or segments of it, could do.”