Milk Producer - May 2010 - (Page 46)

THEBACKFORTY By Sharon Laidlaw Yogurt sales take off Demand for yogurt in Canada and the U.S. is set to soar in next few years maker, is aiming to double per-capita yogurt consumption within four years. According to Gustavo Valle, the company’s chief executive officer, the $1 billion-plus U.S. yogurt market is still very underdeveloped, with consumption six times lower than that in Western Europe. Sales of Danone’s Activia yogurt brand continue to rise, growing 15 per cent in the first three months of this year. Prebiotic and probiotic use increase Dairy-based foods make up 55 per cent of the world’s probiotic and prebiotic food and beverages, according to Datamonitor’s Product Launch Analytics. World sales of probiotic and prebiotic foods and beverages climbed 12.5 per cent to reach nearly $15.4 billion in 2008, compared to a year earlier. Recent research has found prebiotics offer a variety of health benefits, such as improving immunity, digestive health, mineral absorption and controlling weight. Global yogurt sales, like Danone’s Activia brand, are set to jump by 2015. Increasing consumer demand for healthier foods will help spur growth. T here’s more good news on the horizon for the dairy industry. According to a California-based market research firm, global yogurt sales are set to jump by 2015. Increasing consumer demand for convenient, health-promoting products that are low in sugar and fat, as well as probiotics, will help drive this growth, states a Global Industry Analysts (GIA) report. Here at home, Canadian yogurt sales are expected to continue growing at a rate well above population growth, note two Dairy Farmers of Ontario economists in a recent discussion paper projecting Canadian dairy markets for the next 10 years. 46 | May 2010 | MilkPRODUCER Among all functional foods, yogurt is considered ideal for delivering functional ingredients like probiotics. Danone, the world’s largest yogurt Want to give your cows mood a lift? Consider letting them watch TV. A Russian farm recently installed high-tech LCD televisions in the barn in an attempt to boost milk quality and cows’ mood. A lack of open spaces and visual stimuli during winter apparently gives the cows the blues, affecting milk production. The farmers decided to conduct a month-long experiment by installing several high-definition Samsung televisions, which show images of green grass and Alpine meadows. They also installed better lighting and ambient music, as part of the experiment. There is no word yet about the outcome.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Milk Producer - May 2010

Milk Producer - May 2010
Contents
Editor's Note
DFO Chair's Message
Provincial Perspectives
Dairy Update
National Policy
Farm Finance
Retailers Spotlight
DFC Promotion
The Future Arrives
Farm Business
Research
Applied Science
Ruminations
Markets
New 'N" Noted
Back Forty

Milk Producer - May 2010