Getting the word out

Arla Foods UK is going to feature in a BBC Two series explaining how food is produced. This is, in my opinion, a very good idea. So often in this industry, we are faced with a lot of misinformation, and opening up the site to show how milk is processed can only benefit the industry as a whole. Consumers worry about where their food comes from, and milk has a very good story to tell, no matter what it ends up as – cheese, yogurt, milk or any other dairy-related, quality product.

Indeed, Arla is not the only processor working hard on good news. FrieslandCampina this week introduced a bio-based milk carton from Elopak, which is due for roll-out from June. It will have a 20 per cent lower carbon footprint than the current carton, and will be used in the Dutch market. Ecolean has its standup pouch that is very environmentally friendly, and Tetra Pak also has a fully renewable package available. I suspect that this will be the year of the package, as processors work to lower their carbon footprints further.

A more disturbing news item is the one that talks about iodine levels in organic milk. Unfortunately as usual, half-truths get around the block before truth gets its shoes on. As scientific research is never as definitive as we’d like it, we wind up with studies that the media turns into horror stories. All we can do as an industry is keep rebutting, rebutting and rebutting. Tiresome but necessary. And this is why having Arla on the television is a good thing. Go forth and spread the good word about dairy.