Dramatic increases in extended shelf life (ESL) milk sales have been reported by the German central marketing and price reporting agency (ZMP).

Over the counter business doubled in the first half of 2005 compared with the same period of the previous year. This sales surge, says ZMP, occurs at a time of declining retail sales of pasteurised and UHT milk which, by the end of June, had sunk by 3.7%.
And even within the ESL milk sales in Germany there are big changes in consumer trends with low-fat milk swiftly taking over as the dominant product. Just short of 50% of extended shelf life milk sales are now of 1.5% fat while full fat (3.6%) sales have crashed in just two years from over 50% to just 20%.