What's up with Milk?

I believe milk sales will continue to decline and plant based milks will continue to rise as will the growth of milk replacement products such as non-dairy cheese, butter, cream and non-dairy prepackaged foods such as instant meals. 

A popular hastag among vegans sharing food ideas is #accidentlyvegan and I believe that it is only a matter of time before food manufacturers realise that by veganising their product they open it up to a new audience of food lovers. 

In terms of advertising, milk will continue being marketted to all people, especially children as well as remain as a drink for sport people. I think to an extent women have started to move on from product which are a quick beauty fix so I would like to see the marketing geared towards beautification go.

The Environmental Impact of Dairy

According to The World Wildlife Fund there are 270 million cows in the world that are used for dairy alone. They have the following impact on our environment:

Water - they need huge amounts to clean their enclosure, to consume, to grow their feed. 

Pollution - The manure can run-off into waterways and lands changing the pH of soil and water and affecting the flora and fawna 

Their manure produces green house gas emissions

Natural environemnts such as marshlands, forests, prairies and wetlands are cleared for grazing removing the habitats of animals and plants.

Affects soil integrity by the introduction of high levels of nitrogen 

The above points have all contriuted to the negative image of dairy and boosted the rise in veganism.

Resources

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/agriculture/pdf/dairy.pdf

Seaweed a Solution to Methane Emissions

Chocolate Milk

Just old favorite treat you might think, however chocolate milk is getting a makeover and is top of the trends in recent sport nutrition circles with the backing of athletes like Mo Farrah. It follows the trend of sports nutrition where even people who aren’t professionals self-style their diet to help their athletic performance. Proven to have the right balance of protein to carbohydrates for the perfect workout recharge, low fat chocolate milk uses sports people in the public eye to promote their chrome wrapped single serve bottle of milk.

Whether this is a rebrand of an old favourite beverage or part of the future of food remains to be seen.

Resources

https://builtwithchocolatemilk.com/science

The Farm Bill was introduced in 1933 during The Great Depression as a way of giving financial assistance to struggling farmers by paying them to produce less food. The topic of subsidies is a much debated subject with one side believing that the $22.2 billion given to the U.S. dairy sector last year could be put to better use elsewhere. The entire system seems to be in a huge mess as the cost to produce milk is more than what farmers can sell it for, yet due to over production 43 million gallons of milk was dumped last year. What’s more, the U.S. has a surplus of milk products such as cheese which is being sold off cheaply to fast food companies like Taco Bell and MacDonalds, who are reformulating recipes to see where they can add more dairy into their products. For me this is a huge problem as it is making already unhealthy food, even more unhealthy and those who will most likely be affected are the ones at the lower end of the income bracket, exposing them to greater risk of obesity related diseases such as cardio-vascular disease, heart diseases or diabetes.

 Resources

http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/american-dairy-farmers-depend-on-government-subsidies-1015126442

https://www.wsj.com/articles/americas-dairy-farmers-dump-43-million-gallons-of-excess-milk-1476284353

Life Without Milk

Downside to Almond Milk

California a state that sufferes from drought and wild fires, produce eighty percent of the worlds almonds and uses ten percent of California’s water supply for this purpose. The reason why they use so much water is because almond trees need to be watered constantly or they die. To keep up with demand, many of California’s wetlands, forests and grasslands have been converted into almond orchards, in fact, 16,000 acres out of the 23,000 used to farm almonds originally fell into this category.

For consumers making the change to plant based eating for environmental or animal welfare reasons, this destruction of natural habitats and wildlife may not sit too well. In addition to this, almond trees rely on honey bees to pollinate and in the annual process infect the honey bees with harsh chemicals used to protect the trees against pests. The decline of the honey bee is of huge importance as they help to pollinate many different species so making them ill with pesticides is detrimental to their growth. Drilling for water has also affected land, causing substantial subsistence in some areas of up to 11 inches, raising the risk of earthquakes.

Almond milk is double the price of cows milk (£0.90 vs £1.80 per litre). People who cannot afford milk are at a risk of being stigmatised as being unhealthy. The logic is that as plant milk is so healthy, to not buy it is to be unhealthy. Although obviously not correct, this is often how people’s minds work. Products have been used to evevate status for centuries and the vast price difference and diverse images of plant vs cow milk could encourage this form of cultural capitalism.

Resources

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/05/_10_percent_of_california_s_water_goes_to_almond_farming.html

https://www.vox.com/2015/4/14/8407155/almonds-california-drought-water

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mallorypickett/2016/09/28/satellite-images-reveal-impact-of-almond-boom/#7327ea8f4cd1

The Rise of Alternative Milks

The joke ‘how do you milk an almond’ demonstrates the shift in how we think about milk. For many milk can be made of many things, as long as the product is a white, creamy liquid. Of course, dairy companies don’t like this and are fighting to protect the use of the word milk, no doubt so that non-dairy milks need convoluted descriptions which make them sound unappetising resulting in the dairy product being protected.

Asian countries had been drinking plant milks for hundreds of years (the earliest record of almond milk is 1226), but only in the last twenty years has it really taken off in the US and UK which has coincided with rising cases of lactose intolerance, dairy allergies and the rise of veganism as well as the exposure of mass scale farming and it’s issues.

The largest non-dairy milk provider in the U.S. is Silk who have ten different milks in their almond milk line, eight in their soy, four in their cashew, two in their coconut and five in their ‘nutrition blends’ category which are blended milks with added omega three, protein or prebiotics, not to mention their dairy free yoghurt and coffee creamers. Their marketing strategy is to promote the power of plants to ‘grow’ healthier bodies use social media to engage consumers with their ‘small steps equals perfection’ campaign where presumably the small step is swapping dairy milk for one of theirs. Non-dairy milks are no-longer for those with allergies to dairy and are seen as a healthier choice that follows the trend for plant based eating.

Personally, I think coffee chains like Starbuck have helped in the acceptance of alternative flavours with coffee and with milks. Once someone has tried a hazel nut flavoured coffee, they could be more likely to accept a coconut flavoured one made with coconut milk. Given that the US non-dairy milk market is worth sixteen billion dollars, I’d say it has become a solid part of our diet rather than a trend or fad.

Resources

http://www.soyinfocenter.com/pdf/166/Milk.pdf

The Backlash Against Milk and Intensive Farming

The demand for cheap milk forced dairy farmers to adapt their practices, creating mega farm with barns the size of football pitches each fitting three thousand cows who would never go outside or graze on pasture. The trend for knowing the origin of food and being able to track it’s journey from field to fork has bolstered interest in how we farm, putting pressure on farmers to ensure the product is really as natural and healthy as advertising claims.

All too often adverts show a clean cow in a bright green field under a brilliant blue sky, often grazing as part of a herd with calves by their sides. Debunking this wholesome image, documentaries such as Cowspiracy, Earthings and King Corn have exposed the reality and social media has facilitated the spread of visual images ensuring there isn’t much about the dairy industry that remains hidden.

Got Milk?

(2 of 2)

Accompanying the T.V. and print ads were popular foods to consume with milk such as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cookies, donuts, cupcakes and cereal with the meal not being the same without milk. Commissioned by the California Milk Processor Board in a bid to boost sales, these ads also used celebrities in the public eye to promote milk and it’s specific nutritional benefits. It was later licensed for use nationally and saw female celebrities sporting milk moustaches and promoting skimmed milk and it’s ability to keep them beautiful and lean, whilst male athletes such as David Beckham and Amit Khan were shown to favour milk for strength and growth. Even cartoon characters such as The Simpsons and Superman as well as child stars and boy bands promoted milk to children as a healthy alternative to soda. The array of celebrities was so vast, that the combined meaning that these ads collectively put out into the world was that milk was for all people of all ages which made you slim, strong, powerful and healthy. The campaign was so successful that ‘got...?’ became a catch phrase that could be applied to anything insinuating the thing the person had ‘got’ was great value and importance. Additionally, the milk moustache will forever be linked to the ‘Got Milk?’ campaign.

Whilst the campaign was a success from an advertising perspective, it didn’t actually boost sales as milk at this time was fighting with increasing competition from companies who produced sodas, fruit juices, energy drinks, alternative milks and bottled water. In fact, milk was declining in popularity with the amount drunk in the 1970’s at 0.96 cups a day compared to 0.59 cups in 2011.

Resourses

http://www.adweek.com/creativity/20-years-got-milk-153399/

Got Milk? 

(1st of 2 posts)

Tetra Packaging and Cultural Homogenisation of Food

The 1940’s was a great time for innovation and one of these inventions was tetra packaging which was specifically designed for the transportation of milk. Designed by Ruben Rausing in Lund Switzerland it was first used commercially in 1952 for small cartons of cream then in 1957 sold milk in one litre cartons. By the 60’s they were producing over a billion plastic lined cardboard cartons a year across the world. Today the company is a multibillion dollar company. The appeal of the tetra pack for consumers was increased protection against contamination issues, the linear shape allowing for easier and more economical packaging (it could be stacked without wasting space) and less risk of breakage when compared to glass milk bottles. It also allowed for milk to be separated into individual portions making it portable and allowing for advertisers to sell the benefits of time saving with ‘less waste and less fuss’.

Tetra packaging whilst recyclable, is now used in so many different products, that we can no longer recognise many food stuffs in our grocery stores by shape alone. One argument for the many health problems that America faces is the lack of relationship with real, fresh food and whilst tetra pack no doubt benefitted many, it could be that the blandness of shape may have contributed towards this. It also removed the milk bottle as a cultural symbol, globalising the appearance of milk. 

The linea shape of tetra packaging also meant that advertisers needed to focus more on the graphic design of the packaging to ensure shoppers could easily recognise their brand and the product it was selling. 

Interestingly, Tetra packaging became very useful during the introduction of Ultra Heat Treated (UHT) milk in the 1970’s as it allowed for milk to be sold off the shelf, transported and stored without refrigeration and to this day remains how most of the world purchase their milk. This reduces household electricity bills and environmental impact as refrigeration uses approximately 20 percent of household energy.

https://www.tetrapak.com/about/facts-figures

Refrigeration

Marked by the Royal Society as the most important invention of our existence, the refrigerator made a marked improvement on food safety and liberating the housewife from having to shop every day. For milk this meant that people were able to ensure safe storage as well as purchase larger quantities as the refrigerator would extend the shelf life. Americans also developed a taste for chilled milk or milk over ice which became the normal way to enjoy the beverage. Whilst it was invented in the late 1800’s they didn’t become commercially available and safe until the 1920’s with Americans driving the demand. Refrigeration only became popular in the 1960’s in Britain due to a poor economy a fact which contributed to the idea of British food being of poor quality and drinks served without enough ice or not cold enough for American tastes. Whilst ninety-six percent of American households had refrigeration in 1959, only 13 percent of British homes did.

This 1930′s advert uses milk and dairy safety as a key tool in it’s advertising, playing on fears of food safety and encourage plentiful consumption. The language (”You want your children...”) of opening paragraph is also very different and assertive demonstrating that the creators of the advertisers are dictating to women how they must care for their children. It is no longer a suggestion but an instruction which suggests that not having the fridge is to be a bad mother as the food you would feed your child would be less safe.

https://royalsociety.org/news/2012/top-20-food-innovations/

Milk for Health

Advertisement of the 1940′s promoted milk as a product for all people reflecting the changing attitudes towards milk. Whilst marketers still targeted women and children they now actively promoted milk for men too. It was also one of the early times that milk was linked to athletic performance with it promising vitality and endurance. The 1940′s ad came at a time when temperance was still promoted, with milk being the pure, wholesome alternative to alcohol. The idea of milk as pure and wholesome continues to this day. 

When you compare it to the Safeway advert from the late 1930′s we see how this female targeted ad is so dramatically different not only in artistic appearance (black and white vs color and old fashioned in style) but also in it’s message. This ad promoting milk as a beautifying and vitality giving product celebrates the full, rich creaminess of milk which is not only a very different to the messages we receive in today’s society but very different to the inclusive ad of the 1940’s.

The 1940’s ad was part of a health campaign by the Food and Drug Administration to get people drinking more milk and was a part of a series of images with others promoting milk for warmth and as an energy giving food, whilst others in the same series promoted different forms of exercise. It is an early example of the government getting involved with guiding the health of America through the promotion of food items.  

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Citations

The Great Depression - Strikes and Protests

Lasting ten years from 1929 the Great Depression was felt by all of those who consumed as well as produced milk. Caused by a sudden plummeting of the stock market, thousand found theselves out of work and crop prices plummetted. Several strikes and public protests occured during these times including the 1933 Sioux City Milk War where farmers protesting low milk prices went on strike, setting up roadblocks to prevent mllk from being delivered. The Dairy Farmers Union Strike also occured in 1939 following plummeting milk prices which were so low it cost more to produce milk then the farmers could sell it for. Wisconsin farmers also went on a series of three strikes and whilst those selling bottled milk were able to just about survive, however those making cheese or butter went out of business.

Despite farmers generally having a good image after WW1 (they were seen as honest, hardworking and providers for the nation), I cannot imagine that milks image stayed positive during the Great Depression as starving people would have seen reports of the strike and seen coverage of milk trucks being set ablaze and milk spilt over the ground.

This era was also vital in the discovery and research into vitamins and nutrients, mainly spurred on by the military whos researchers made ground breaking discoveries. These discoveries recognised milk as an extrememly important food source and reaffirmed it’s place as a vital part of the American diet for all people rather than just infants, factory workers, the elderly and women as was previously practiced. These discoveries changed how milk was advertised as now the nutritional qualities were touted. 

http://www.iptv.org/iowapathways/mypath/great-depression-hits-farms-and-cities-1930s

Passed in 1922 it allowed farmers to pool their agricultural products for collective processing, production and marketing. It also made farmers exempt from laws which prevented them from raising prices of their products.

The Rise and Fall of The Milkman

Despite the advances in pasteurisation and bottling, many rural areas of Britain still had their milk delivered by horse and cart. Rural sellers of milk would begin their business selling out of a push cart and pouring directly into cups then as their business grew work up to a horse and cart. This system of delivering milk continued up until the 1950’s despite glass bottles coming into use in the 1890’s.

Electric milk floats began delivering bottled milk in the 1930’s in urban areas along with other dairy produce such as yoghurt and butter as well as orange juice and bread meaning customers could have all of their fresh breakfast essentials delivered to their door. This continued through until 1994 when deregulation of the laws governing supermarkets allowed them to start selling milk in four pint containers as well as a loss leader. The supermarkets strategy to attract customers was to focus on essential items, making them as cheap as possible then sell other things to the customer once they were in store. Dairies even used their own milk bottles to advertise their plight appealing to the British peoples love of tradition and their sense of nostalgia for their friendly neighbourhood milkman who would deliver whatever the weather. Despite nationwide campaigns to save the milkman, they could not complete on price and sadly the milkman became an icon of the past due to the huge buying power and subsequent growth of supermarkets. Interestingly on the reverse of the bottle is the Union Jack and a phrase promoting British milk. It promotes the idea of national pride and of provenance. Whether this is due to supermarkets importing milk at the time, I am unsure but certainly the Britishness of the milk was used as a marketing tool.

All may not be lost for the milkman and despite falling number over the last decade, 2016 saw an increase. Many attribute this to people wanting to move away from plastic, a trend of supporting small businesses, the desire for a greater control over provenance and the British love for nostalgia and keeping our history alive. One young milkman located in the trendy Shoreditch area of London, delivers to ‘hipsters’ at trendy start ups or tech businesses who he credits with creating a niche revival.  Despite a love of nostalgia, his customers now also get a choice of various plant based milks reflecting societies changing tastes.

Such is one mans fondness for the milkmen and specifically milk bottles that he has amassed a collection of over 20,000. His favourite bottle states “Drink your health in milk every day”, showing how milk was no longer considered just for chlldren or as an ingredient, but a healthy nutritious beverage.

Image 1 - Man with Horse Drawn Cart, Yorkshire, England 1930

Image 2 - Unigate Dairies, ne of the largest distributor of milk via milk floats

Image 3 - A typical milk bottle from the 1990′s

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2403819/Malvern-pensioner-Steve-Wheeler-collection-20-000-milk-bottles.html

https://www.packagingnews.co.uk/features/comment/soapbox/history-of-the-world-in-52-packs-part-2-the-milk-bottle-29-07-2015