Getting the word out
The UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board study that says more dairy products would be sold if more people knew about the health benefits is an important one. Sometimes we in the dairy industry get the idea that just by producing healthy, nutritious products, they will sell themselves on the health benefits. After all, people already know that dairy is a nutrition powerhouse no matter what your age, right?
Well, not exactly. People have a lot of information thrown at them, particularly on the web, nowadays, and it has the effect of muddying the milk, so to speak. And there are non-dairy products that wish to climb aboard the dairy nutrition train by calling themselves “milk” while disparaging the original milk in their advertising. Younger people in particular are more likely to buy these alternatives versus older consumers, which is somewhat disheartening.
But the encouraging thing about the study was that if people were given knowledge about the health benefits of dairy, they would be inclined to buy more. Around half would, in fact.
So, what do you labels look like? How loudly are you announcing your dairy product’s protein, vitamins and minerals? What kinds of health benefits do you promote on package, on your websites, on social media and on your point of sale promotions?
It also comes down to supporting the organisations that help tell your story. Getting behind your national milk associations and leaning in, so to speak, about the many nutritional benefits of dairy. Today’s youth are tomorrow’s older consumers of dairy, and the more they get on board with the benefits, the more likely they are to drink milk and to preserve their health.
