Brazil long life milk brings new life to fresh milk market

The rise of Brazilian long life milk has transformed the fresh milk industry in that country, Almir Jose Meireles, past president of the Brazilian Long Life Milk Association, told the World Dairy Summit audience in Parma, Italy recently. Long life milk sales have expanded from 1990, when they made up 2.5% of the total Brazilian market in sales with 204 million litres sold, to 5.4 bn litres in 2010. “As a result, the fluid milk market in Brazil has resumed growth,” Meireles says. “Long life milk has played a transforming role.”

The product’s value lies in two traits: it has no need of refrigeration, and it will last far longer than traditional pasteurized milk. “There were many barriers to overcome,” Meireles says. “Consumers did not trust milk that did not need refrigeration at first.” The growth in long life milk has also led to an improvement in the quality of the raw milk supplied for production, he notes. Now, consumers buy 12-litre packs and store them, versus buying fresh milk every day. This has also expanded the geographical distribution of liquid milk in Brazil, as there are many areas that do not have refrigeration. “Remote shops can now offer milk to consumers,” he notes.

All this has led to an expansion in production as milk producers no longer need to restrict themselves to the local market. Another benefit is a wider variety of milk products on offer. Brazilian consumers now have a selection of long life products to choose from. “Long life milk is key to the sustainability of the Brazilian dairy sector,” Meireles says.