Dairy Times August- September 2020

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CONTENTS

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• As SMP stock piles up during lockdown • Dairy Farmers Criticize Aavin Dairy For Lessening Procurement 11

• BJP, Allies To Milk Producers’ De mands With State-Wide Agitation • FSSAI clarifies the A1 A2 milk and Organic foods 12

• By 2025, India’s Dairy Industry Aims To Double Its Processing • Telangana dairy federation set up solar units

• Goa Dairy May Hike Milk Procurement Rate 24

• Enhancing the quality of milk

with bacteria-removing clarifiers GEA • DuPont Launches Series of Cultures For Dairy Industry 26

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• Decision On Subsidy To Dairy Farmers Soon • Tips by FSSAI to keep packaged milk clean 16

• Shutdown of schools hits dairy and poultry farmers • Sawant: Rs. 1.5L collateral-free loan for dairy farmers 17

• Amul Aiming To Be In Top Three Global Dairy Companies • Amul sets record by launching 1 product every 4th day 18

• Maha govt mulls Rs. 5/litre direct subsidy transfer to milk farmers 19

• India must stop misusing antibiotics in dairy sector • FSSAI checks on milk, edible oil honey, meat & poultry 20

• Strengthening Marketing Will Help Aavin Tide Over Crisis • Mother Dairy To Expand Into Bread And Sweets 21

• Prabhat Dairy: Rs.1,700-Cr Deal Under Sebi Lens 22

• Giriraj Singh Launches Guide lines For Animal Husbandry • Punjab CM Launches Immunity Boosting Milk 23

• Ghee adulteration racket: Dudhsagar Dairy MD suspended

• Coronavirus: no evidence that food is a source or transmission 50

Indian Dairy Sector: Shaping up White Revolution 2.0

Mr. Mohit Bhasin

• Export Volumes of May dairy products hit High • International Dairy Week cancelled 51

• Asia fresh milk to increase over the next decade • Consumers change with Covid-19

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Dairy in Asia Pacific

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• Dairy Farmers Pour Milk On to Streets

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• Fairlife moves into ice cream

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• Shamalbhai B. Patel Unaniously Elected New Chairman of GCMMF • Milma Launches ‘Spiced’ Milk To Boost Immunity

International Content

Mr. Manish Singh

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Effects of Soft Drink in Consumption of Nutrition and Health Dr. A. R. Sawate

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• US Dietary GAC confirms dairy’s place in diet • Fonterra names chairman-elect

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Innovations in F & B Pkg technology in India Mr. Abhishek Saareen 35

Strengthen Immunity With Whey Proteins

Fonterra names chairman-elect

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Mozzarella cheese, traceability, consumer choices and chemometrics 57

Dr. Anand Rao

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Probiotics and prebiotics: The dynamic sources of Bioactives

Dr. Kavita R. Pandey

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Will Amul’s Milk Run Win India’s Consumption Marathon?

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MILK : The Masked Hero of COVID – 19 Mr. Aditya Anand Jha1

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Atmospheric Cold Plasma (ACP): Applications in dairy industry Dr. Uday S. Annapure

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Safety in the face of a pandemic 59

Taiwan gets a taste for fresh milk 61

US dairy exports reach record high 61

Exploring beneficial lactobacillus strains

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Vol.04, Issue 04, August- September 2020 20/-

Editor In Chief Dr. J.V. Parekh Group Editor Firoz H. Naqvi firoz@advanceinfomedia.com Sales Executive S.H.Hasni hasan@advanceinfomedia.com Production Manager Syed Shahnawaz General Manager Gyanendra Trivedi Graphic Designer Naved H. Kazmi naved@advanceinfomedia.com Circulation Sakshi sakshi@advanceinfomedia.com Marketing & Circulation Office MashAd MultiCom P Ltd. 121, 1st floor, Rassaz Multiplex, Station Road, Mira Road (E), Dist. Thane- 401107 Telefax : +91-22-28555069, Tel.: +91-22-28115068 Mob.: +91-9867992299 E-mail: info@agronfoodprocessing.com sub@advanceinfomedia.com Vol. 04 Issue 04, August -September 2020 Annual Subscription Rs.1000/- By Courier Add Rs. 50/- For Outstation Charges Overseas $80 By Air Mail Email:sub@advanveinfomedia.com Single Copy Cost Rs. 100/Printed, Published & Owned by Firoz H. Naqvi RNI No. MAHENG13830 Regd. Office MashAd MultiCom P Ltd. 121, 1st Floor, Rassaz Multiplex Mira Road (E), Dist.Thane-401107 (Mumbai) Printed At Rolleract Press Services A-84, Naraina Industrial Area Phase-1, New Delhi -110028

ince March many things happened including announcements of huge packages by the government to a level of Rs. 2 Million Crores. Agriculture and dairy also got their humble pie of close to 5.3%.

The Modi government has, as part of its recent COVID-19 stimulus package, announced a Rs. 15,000-crore Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund. This fund, if channelized through a body like the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) that spearheaded White RevDr. J.V. Parekh olution can help enhance India’s milk processing capacity from Editor in Chief existing 110 million litres per day to 220 million liters per day in next 5 years, that can in turn potentially create additional jobs and incomes for 30 lakh families: 25 lakh dairy farmers and 5 lakh along the supply chain. Such a scheme should ideally be implemented in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal, which are now seeing a reverse flow of migrant labours from the urban and industrial centres of western, northern and southern India.

Indian dairy is an INR 10 Lac Cr. industry with significant potential for growth.

Indian dairy industry has grown at 12% during last 5 years, with value added products driving market growth. The Industry dominated by fluid milk with emerging Value Added Products.

There are five key investment opportunities such as production and supply of affordable compound cattle feed, enhancing chilling infrastructure by setting up new BMCs, setting up processing infrastructure, enhancing processed milk distribution capacity & enhancement of direct to consumer milk supply across top consumption hubs.

India’s population in the next 40 years is expected to increase to 1.7 billion, with half of it going to reside in urban areas, compared to the current less than a third.

Feeding this increasingly urbanized population, amid rising incomes, will present a huge challenge. The NITI Aayog has projected the country’s milk production alone to touch 330 million tonnes by 2033-34. This will also create income and employment opportunities.

In his first interview since his appointment, Mr. Arun Singhal of FSSAI informed that apart from checks, FSSAI will identify more food products that are susceptible to adulteration, and identify the hotspots where this adulteration takes place.

The five food products which are susceptible to adulteration are now under the strict vigilance of the FSSAI. These products are milk, edible oil, honey, meat and poultry.

Advisory Board Mr. R.P. Banerjee Chairman, SSP Pvt. Ltd, Faridabad

Dr. K.R. Rao Former CGM, NABARD, Hyderabad

Dr. Rakesh Mohan Joshi, Professor & Chairperson, IIFT, New Delhi

Mr. B.M. Vyas Former MD Gujarat Milk Marketing Federation, Anand

Mr. Subhash Vaidya CEO Dairy Tech Consultancy Mumbai

Dr. Jagjit Singh Punjrath Sr. Strategy Account Director, Stellapps, Chandigarh

Mr. Amit Aggarwal Director, Creamy Foods, New Delhi

Dr. Satish Kulkarni Consultant, Bengaluru

Mr. Rahul Kumar M D, Lactalis India, Chennai

Mr. H. R. Dave Former Deputy MD, NABARD

Mr. V.K. Ghoda Sr. Consultant-Perfect Solution, Ahmedabad

Dr. Mukund Naware Consultant, Mumbai

Dr. J.B. Prajapati Principal & Dean, SMC College of Dairy Science, Anand

Dr. A. K. Tyagi Executive Director, Haldiram Snacks Pvt.Ltd., New Delhi

Dr. G.S. Rajorhia President, Indian Dairy Association, New Delhi

Mr. Vijay Jailkhani Former Team Leader, Schreiber Dynamix, Baramati

Mr. Devendrabhai Shah Chairman, Parag Milk Foods, Mumbai

Dr. Suresh B. Gokhale Former Director Research, BAIF UruliKanchan, Pune

Dr. B.N. Mathur Former Director, NDRI, Karnal

Mr. Rakesh Chopra MD, REIL, Jaipur

Dr. Tanweer Alam Director, Indian Institute of Packaging, Mumbai Dr. T. K. Walli Former Head, Dairy Nutritional Division NDRI Karnal Dr. P. R. Patel Excutive Director, Mansinhbhai Institute of Dairy and Food Technology (MIDFT), Mehsana.

The views expressed in this issue are those of the contributors and are not necessarily those of the magazine. Though every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy and authenticity of the infomation,"Dairy Times" is however not responsible for damages caused by misinterpretation of information expressed and implied within the pages of this issue. All disputes are to be referred to Mumbai Jurisdiction.

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As SMP stock piles up during lockdown, dairies protest against import at reduced duty

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airies convert excess milk stock into anhydrous SMP and white butter to be supplement their needs. Prior to the Covid-19 lockdown, dairies had reported a shortfall in daily procurement and SMP stock had almost dropped to zero.

Thanks to the shortage, SMP prices had also touched the Rs. 300 per kg mark in domestic markets. The stock of skimmed milk powder (SMP) in the country has increased from practically nil to 1.5 lakh tons (lt) in the last three months, since lockdown was imposed.

Dairies have pointed out that as sale of the product remains low, the decision of the central government to allow import of 10,000 tons of SMP at 15 per cent import duty will cause further piling up of stocks, resulting in dip in procurement price for farmers.

Ironically the decision came even after the Union budget decided to impose 60 per cent duty on all SMP imports.

Dairies convert excess milk stock into anhydrous SMP and white butter to be supplement their needs. Prior to the Covid-19 lockdown, dairies had reported a shortfall in daily procurement and SMP stock had almost dropped to zero. Thanks to the shortage, SMP prices had also touched the Rs. 300 per kg mark in domestic markets. Since the begining of the lockdown

in March, the situation underwent an almost overnight change, with dairies, especially the cooperative ones, reporting excess procurement of milk, which they were forced to convert into SMP and white butter.

The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Limited (GCMF), the holding company for the popular dairy brand Amul, has nearly 80,000 tons of SMP and 30,000 tons of white butter in its stock.

The SMP stock nationwide is estimated to be around 1.5 lakh tons, with cooperative dairies holding most of it.

As hotels, restaurants and catering businesses remained shut during lockdown, the demand for milk from sweetmarts, ice-cream makers and tea stalls dipped to almost zero. Coupled with this, dairies which supplied milk for mid-day meals in schools across states also reported significant dip in their sales.

R. S. Sodhi, managing director of Amul, said they used to supply nearly 3-3.5 lakh litres of milk daily to schools in Gujarat.

“With schools shut, that milk has become excess stock for us,” he said. Demand will continue to fluctuate as the pandemic continues in the country, said dairy owners.

Now, the central government’s decision to reverse its earlier decision of imposing a stiff 60 per cent duty on import of SMP irrespective of Tariff Rate Quota (TRF) has been opposed by dairies. On June 23,

the central government allowed import of 10,000 tons of SMP at a concessional 15 per cent duty, which, dairies say, would further weaken sentiments in the market.

As against the cost of production of Rs. 260 per kg, SMP price in domestic markets is around Rs. 200 per kg, while in international markets, it is available at cheaper rates of Rs. 170-180 per kg.

“While the quantity might not be much, it will surely have a negative impact on SMP prices, which will force dairies to revise the procurement price of milk from farmers,” said an official of a cooperative dairy in Maharashtra.

At present, most dairies are paying their farmers Rs. 20-22 per litre for milk. With the monsoon setting in, milk production is all set to increase in the coming months.

Both Amul and the Maharashtra Milk Producers and Processors Welfare Association, the umbrella body of private and cooperative dairies in the state, have already written to the central government, asking it to reconsider its decision of reversing the import duty.

Amul has also asked for an export incentive of Rs. 50 per kg for exporting nearly 50,000 tons of SMP. This, Sodhi and others said, will allow them to reduce their stock and increase payment to farmers.

Dairy Farmers Criticize Aavin Dairy For Lessening Procurement

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avin sold 12.03 lakh litres a day in place of its usual 11.60 lakh litres, a press release said.

A group of farmers from Tirupur poured milk on the streets in protest against the Aavin management recently.

Accompanied with 60 other farmers, six farmers of the Tamil Nadu Vivaisaigal Sangam in a protest poured litres of milk in front of an Aavin cooperative office at Veerapandi Pirivu.

“Aavin has reduced procurement by 50% and also reduced the payment for each

litre claiming that fat content in milk is low. Since fat content is low, instead of paying the fixed Rs. 31 per litre, they pay us only Rs. 21 to Rs. 22 per litre,” said district president Eashwaran.

“This reduced payment also has been delayed for all farmers. Those who have one to two cows have outstanding payments of Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 25,000 and some farmers are yet to receive more than Rs. 60,000,” he added.

Aavin has reportedly claimed about low revenues for low procurement and de-

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layed payments, while farmers informed that the hundreds of outlets belonging to Aavin in the district are functioning as tea shops instead of milk stores.

Yet another group of farmers have forwarded a petition to the collector, requesting the authorities to divert the high-tension power-line being laid from Virudhunagar to Coimbatore right over agriculture fields.

This passing of high electric tension cables will drastically affect cultivation and productivity, they fear.

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BJP, Allies To Milk Producers’ Demands With State-Wide Agitation

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purchases. “There is a situation where even the cost of production is not recovered due to the decline in demand.

The state government had announced that milk will be purchased at Rs. 25 per litre.

However, government milk is being procured only from certain milk unions,” Thakur claimed.

he Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), along with its allies, the Rayat Kranti Party (RKP), the Republican Party (Athawale faction), the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (RSP) and Shiv Sangram, will stage a state-wide agitation on August 1 to press for higher rates for milk producers.

The decision was taken by “Mahayuti’ alliance meeting, according to BJP state general secretary Sujit Singh Thakur.

The meeting was attended by BJP state president Chandrakant Patil, leader of opposition in the assembly Devendra Fadnavis, Mahadev Jankar, Sadabhau Khot, Vinayak Mete, Avinash Mahatekar, BJP Kisan Morcha state president Anil Bonde and others. Earlier, the party and allies agitated on July 21 to draw attention to the various demands of milk producers.

However, the BJP leader said that since the state government has not accepted demands, they are planning to intensify the agitation from August 1.

According to Thakur, due to the declining demand during the lockdown, milk producers are facing a huge crisis. The price of milk has fallen by Rs. 16 as hotels and other businesses have stopped making

“Injustice is being done to other milk producers across the state. In such a situation a subsidy of Rs. 10 per litre should be directly credited in the bank accounts of milk-producing farmers. A further subsidy of Rs. 50 per kg for export of milk powder should be given, so also a procurement price of Rs. 30 per litre for cow’s milk,” said Thakur.

FSSAI clarifies the A1 A2 milk and Organic foods concepts under its FAQ

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arge number of dairy products are available in the market having labels like A2 /organic/natural milk and milk products.

beneficial effects of A1 and A2 types of milk have been discussed in various meetings of Scientific Panel on Milk and Milk Products.

ganic Production (NPOP) which is implemented by Ministry of commerce and Industry. All organic foods must be certified by any one of the systems.

The consumer does not have any clarity over the same. Even the sellers never try to conduct a deep research before labelling their products with such endorsements.

The panel did not come to any conclusion on this issue due to lack of clinical data and risk assessment done at scale so far. A1 and A2 are types of Milk protein.

However the marketer uses this term for his dairy products like Ghee which does not have any protein in it.

Exemption from Organic certification Small original producer or producer organisation can sell these products directly to consumers without any certification.

FSSAI website has given a clear verdict on such popular labelling captions like A2, organic, etc. Marketers are publicising the benefits of A1 over A2 on social media as well as on product’s label without any scientific evidence. Such acts by the marketers are actually a case of mislabeling and food frauds.

A1/A2 milk Standards of milk as specified in Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 do not mention or recognise any differentiation of milk on the basis of A1 and A2 types.

Although the issue regarding adverse/

Organic food regulation Organic foods are classified under section 22 of the Food safety Standards Act 2006. Food Safety and Standards (organic foods) regulations 2017 regulates these foods , notified under the provision of the Act. This regulation recognise two systems of certification for organic foods. The first one is Participatory Guarantee System (PGS-India).

Ministry of agriculture and farmer’s welfare implements PGS-India scheme.. The second one is National Program for Or-

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Small producer or producer organisations are the one whose annual turnover is less than Rs 12 lakhs.

Smart marketers have used this exemption as an opportunity by creating farmer’s market in high end localities of all metros .

They bring farm produce from different sources and sell them at hefty premium as A2/ organic produce in dairy food categories.

Strict rules must be there to safeguard consumers against premium charging practices of FBO in the name of A2/organic.

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By 2025, India’s Dairy Industry Aims To Double Its Processing Capacity: Atul Chaturvedi

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r. Atul Chaturvedi, Secretary, Dept. of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Govt of India said that India’s dairy industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world and has set the goal to double its processing capacity from 53.5 MMT to 108 MMT by 2025.

The government in its roadmap for 2025 for the dairy sector also aims to increase value added products from 23% to 40% and India’s exports share in the world from 0.36% to 10%, he added. Addressing a FICCI webinar on ‘Development of Indian Dairy Sector’, Mr Chaturvedi said that the dairy sector was facing a crisis before the onset of the pandemic.

However, the industry was able to turn the COVID crisis into an opportunity.

There was an improvement in supply of milk substantially by cooperatives and the average liquid milk consumption by cooperatives was higher during the period.

He added that average procurement price of milk also increased, which helped 1.7 crore farmers.

Mr. Chaturvedi said that the Indian dairy is Rs 10 lakh crore industry with significant growth potential and highlighted the five key investment opportunities for the private sector.

It included production and supply of affordable compound cattle feed; enhancing chilling infrastructure by setting up new BMCs; setting up processing infrastructure; enhancing processed milk distribution capacity; and enhancement of D2C milk supply across top consumption hubs. Mr. Siraj Hussain, Former Secretary, MoFPI & Ministry of Agriculture, Govt of India said that the share of eastern India in milk processing is very less and

urged the government to look at ways to correct this situation. He added that FSSAI should engage the private sector to compile data as there is no information available on milk processing capacity of the dairy sector.

Mr. Hussain pointed out the urgent need to spread awareness about the use of processed milk. Owing to several myths related to the use of processed milk, there is no demand for it in certain parts of the country leading to closure of private diaries. He added that augmenting domestic demand for processed milk by organizing campaigns is crucial.

In his presentation on Indian dairy sector, Mr. Mohit Bhasin, Partner, KPMG India said that despite being the largest producer, India lags behind in per capita consumption of milk, share of processed milk products and yield per animal.

However, the dairy sector is all set to move to next level in processed food segment driven by quality and product innovation. He added that processed milk, value added milk products both traditional and non-traditional and healthy beverages can become the growth segments.

Dr. R.S. Sodhi, Managing Director, GCMMF (AMUL) said that dairy sector provides not only nutrition but also sustainable source of livelihood to 70 million plus farmers involved directly in dairying. Dairy sector is all set to move to the next level by improvement in productivity, building brand India in milk segment, product innovation and increasing penetration of organized segment.

He added that efforts should be made so that dairy can become an attractive profes-

sion for future generations. Dr. Prashant Shinde, Commercial Director-Dairy Feed Business, Cargill India said that for future growth of the milk output, it is important to ensure availability of feed and fodder, expand creation of silage preparation, promote use of compound cattle feed and educate farmers on good dairy farming practices. He added that use of compound feed can not only increase milk yield but also enhance net profitability of dairy farmers.

Mr. Ranjith Mukundan, CEO & Co-Founder, Stellapps Technologies said that the dairy sector holds immense potential to bring the rural economy back on track. High-end technologies can transform the dairy value chain by unlocking access to relevant insights, products and services at the right time to small holder farmers.

He added that quality and traceability solutions can make India an export hub in dairy and data driven decisions in dairy farming can lead to building smart dairy value chain.

Mr. Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General, FICCI said that the objective of the session was to develop the roadmap for transforming the initiatives into well directed efforts for development of Indian dairy sector to enhance milk production for doubling farmers’ income, promoting entrepreneurship and value creation along with dairy value chain to mitigate effects of COVID on dairy sector while establishing national milk brands globally. A FICCI paper on ‘Development of Dairy Sector in India’ was also released during the webinar.

Telangana dairy federation set up solar units

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he Telangana State Dairy Development Cooperative Federation (TSDDCF) plans to set up solar power units at its head office, various dairy units and chilling plants located across the State. The federation, known for its brand Vijaya Telangana, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Telangana State Renewable Energy Development Corporation (TSREDCO) for setting up

of the solar power units to bring down its power costs. The agreement was inked by G Srinivasa Rao, MD of TSDDCF, and Neelam Janaiah, MD of TSREDCO. Rao said TSDDCF expects to save Rs. 71 lakh per annum on tariffs. This includes Rs. 36.75 lakh on power bills every year at its head office and about Rs. 34.18 lakh at the district offices and chilling centres.

The total installed capacity will be 1,990

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KVA across various centres. TSREDCO will set up the plants under the Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) mode, wherein there will be no upfront investment on behalf of the federation.

TSDDCF has to just pay for the power consumed. The solar plants at the units will be developed, owned and maintained by the RESCO for 25 years.

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Shamalbhai B. Patel Unanimously Elected New Chairman of GCMMF

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HRI SHAMALBHAI B. PATEL has unanimously been elected as the Chairman of GCMMF. Earlier, he was the Chairman of the Sabarkantha District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union.

Shri Valamji Humbal has been elected as the Vice Chairman of GCMMF. Previously, he was the Chairman of the Kutch District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union. The election took place at

Anand wherein all the chairmen of state’s 18 dairy cooperatives were present as they are also members of the GCMMF board.

The state government had appointed Shri I.K. Jadeja, as the election observer. He announced that the federation members unanimously accepted the proposal to appoint Shri Patel as GCMMF’s Chairman and Shri Humbal as the Vice Chairman.

Outgoing Chairman Shri Ramsinh Parmar and Vice Chairman Shri Jetha Bhar-

wad held these posts for the last two and a half years. After the announcement by the observer, Shri Patel said that his priority would be to ensure better procurement prices for milk producers. He will also try to work as per the Amul pattern to develop the dairy and animal husbandry sector. The newly elected GCMMF Vice Chairman Shri Humbal said that the need of the hour is to ensure consumers get milk and its products at reasonable prices.

Milma Launches ‘Spiced’ Milk To Boost Immunity

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ilma golden milk and golden milk mix were launched with the assistance of Indian Institute of Spices Research, Kozhikode.

Uthradam and Thiruvonam days that fell on August 29, 30 and 31, respectively. Milma sold 61 lakh litres of milk and seven lakh litres of curd on these three days.

Thiruvananthapuram: Milma has launched two new products, Milma golden milk and Milma golden milk mix, that are spiced with ginger, turmeric and cinnamon.They would provide high nutritional value and also boost immunity.

The products have been launched with the assistance of Indian Institute of Spices Research, Kozhikode, that found that the bioactives in the spices, if properly segregated and mixed with proteins in pure milk, would help boost the immunity.

The products were launched here by forests, wildlife, animal husbandry and diary development minister K Raju, agriculture minister V S Sunil Kumar, KTDC chairman and former speaker M Vijayakumar and Milma chairman P A Balan. Raju said that the products will be of major relief to both the dairy as well as spices farmers, and the products are also the need of the hour. The minister also said that the state currently produces 94% of the milk consumed by it, and the Malabar region of Milma plays a crucial role in it.

Agriculture minister Sunil Kumar said that the state is fast moving towards a self-sufficient state in terms of milk production, and Milma is playing a key role in it. He said that it is through boosting the immunity that pandemics like Covid-19 should be contained, and the latest products from Milma will help in achieving

the goal. Meanwhile, Milma registered a record sale in the three days of Pooradam,

• Milk Chilling Plants • Bulk Milk Cooler • RMRD Section • Milk Silo • Milking Cans

• SS & MS Pipe Fitting • Dairy Trunky Projects • Ghee Plant • Road Milk Tanker • Milking Machine

Dairy Times

In order to ensure sufficiency of milk on these days, Milma had mobilised milk from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in addition to mobilising milk from the dairy farmers in the state.

• Dairy Machinery Spares • On Site Installation of Machinery • Milk Processing Plant • CIP System • Packaging Machines

• Milk Storage Tank • Milks Pumps • On Site Piping Works • AMC • Paneer Plant

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Pricing Trends in Dairy Products: 2020 National Pricelist

International Pricelist

Domestic milk and milk products Price:

International milk and milk products Price:

Source: USDA Source: Market watch

Source: USDA

Source: Market watch

Source: USDA

Source: Market watch Source: USDA

Dairy Farmers Pour Milk Onto Streets To Protest Low Realisation Of Milk Prices, Demand Subsidies

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airies across the state have started correcting procurement price paid to farmers.

Farmers, under the banner of All India Kisan Sabha, protested by pouring milk on streets across the state, while the opposition party BJP has also declared its decision to do the same from August 1.

Notwithstanding the Covid-19 pandemic, farmer organisations have decided to hit the streets to protest against low realisation of dairy farmers. Farmers, under the banner of All India Kisan Sabha, protested on Monday by pouring milk on streets across the state, while the opposition party BJP has also declared its decision to do the same from August 1.

Dairies across the state have started correcting procurement price paid to farmers. While dairies in Kolhapur and Sangli continue to pay between Rs. 25 and Rs. 26 per litre for milk with 3.5 per cent fat and 8.5 per cent solid-non-fat (SNF), others, especially those in Ahmednagar, Solapur, etc, have reduced prices to between Rs. 17 and Rs. 22.50 per litre. As urban

centres remain under lockdown, dairies have complained of dip in sales of milk and milk products, which has hit their bottom line and, thus, led them to reduce milk prices. Members of All India Kisan Sabha, the farmer wing of the CPI(M), protested by pouring milk on the streets.

Dr. Ajit Navale, leader of the organisation, said they will continue to protest till the state government provided a Rs. 10 per litre subsidy directly into the bank accounts of farmers. “Our main demand is that the state government ensures that the realisation of farmers is Rs. 30 per litre,� he said. Similarly, the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghtana, the farmer outfit founded by former MP Raju Shetti, has called for a supply holiday to press for a Rs. 5 per litre sub-

Dairy Times

sidy. The issue took a turn when the BJP decided to jump into the fray with former minister Chandrakant Patil asking for Rs. 10 per litre subsidy. Patil said if the state government did not fulfil demands, they will start an agitation from August 1.

Patil and former minister Sadabhau Khot submitted a proposal to the Sangli collector in this regard. Patil’s announcement drew a sharp response from state Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat, who pointed to the decision of the central government to allow the import of 10,000 tons of skimmed milk powder (SMP) at reduced interest rate.

Dairy farmers in neighbouring Karnataka receive a Rs. 6 per litre subsidy from the state government, which cushions them from price crash.

Farmer leaders in the state have repeatedly asked for introduction of such a system with the Devendra Fadnavis-led government even introducing it briefly in 2018. Instead of farmers, however, the dairies were paid Rs. 5 per litre after they ensured a base price of Rs. 25 per litre to farmers.

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Decision On Subsidy To Dairy Farmers Soon: State

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MF has been able to sell only 40 lakh litres of the total daily procurement of 90 lakh litres.

The state government is likely to launch a subsidy scheme to provide relief to milk producer farmers in the next few days, following protests by them across the state.

them have been protesting across the state over the last two days, demanding cash subsidy of Rs. 5-10 for a litre of milk and Rs. 50 a kg for the export of the skimmed milk powder (SMP) produced out of the excess milk.

Farmer organisations have been protesting by emptying the milk containers on roads, demanding government subsidy in the wake of the dropped rates and fallen demand owing to the lockdown.

“We have been purchasing the excess milk from the farmers to ensure that they do not suffer any losses due to the fall in the demand.

The meeting held by the dairy farmers representatives with the dairy development minister Sunil Kedar, however, did not lead to any firm assurances or announcements by the government.

As a result of the lockdown and commercial-industrial shutdown, more than 20 lakh litre milk in the state remains unsold daily. It has resulted in fall in the procurement price, below the government rate of Rs. 25 a litre for cow milk. Milk producers and the organisations representing

We have purchased 5.80 crore litres milk in more than three months and have converted it into 3500 metric tons of SMP by spending around Rs. 200 crore. We have heard the demands of the milk producer farmers and are positive about relief to them.

The final decision over the new scheme for the milk producer farmers will be taken by discussing it in the state cabinet,” said Kedar. The organisations representing the farmers were divided over the

demands. The per litre subsidy ranged between Rs. 5 and Rs. 10, while some of them demanded subsidy on SMP. “The subsidy never reaches the farmers.

The milk unions, federations and private brands get benefited out of such schemes.

We have demanded the SMP produced out of the excessive milk be distributed to the poor people through the fair prices at rationing shops,” Raghunath Patil, state chief of Shetkar Sangathana said.

Ajit Nawale of milk producers Sangharsh Samiti said that they have demanded the subsidy of Rs. 10 be credited directly into the accounts of the farmers instead of giving it to the milk collecting bodies.

He said that they also have demanded an intervention scheme to ensure that the farmers get at least Rs. 30 a litre as procurement price. Nawale said that the protest will continue until the firm decision is taken by the state government.

Previous Fadnavis government had announced a subsidy of Rs. 5 a litre for procurement of the milk and Rs. 50 a kg for the export of the SMP. The farmers have, however, alleged irregularities by the milk collecting unions, federations and private brands depriving farmers of the benefits.

Follow these useful tips by FSSAI to keep packaged milk clean

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he first thing to remember is to maintain a safe distance with the milkman, suggests FSSAI. One should check if the milkman is wearing a mask Of late, there has been some debate about corona virus spreading through foods, especially raw or frozen foods. China, for instance, recently found that samples of imported shrimp and salmon tested positive for corona virus.

Nevertheless, it is always better to take

adequate precautions before consuming any food item, by cleaning, heating or cooking it.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recently shared some guidelines on how to keep packaged milk clean. Studies earlier have also concluded that the virus could stay up to 24 hours on cardboards and up to three days on plastic.

So, here are some tips to follow when you use a packet of milk:

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* The first thing to remember is to maintain a safe distance with the milkman, suggests FSSAI. One should check if the milkman is wearing a mask. * Secondly, once you receive the packet, wash it thoroughly with water. * Do not cut the packet immediately; let it dry off or the external surface water is likely to pour into the pan. * Before pouring the milk into the pan, wash your hands with soap and water. * Cut the milk packet, pour the milk into a pan and heat it to boil.

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Shutdown of schools hits dairy and ‘CM Mr. Sawant, poultry farmers: Loss of mid-day Goa: Rs. 1.5L colmeal market for milk and eggs lateral-free loan for dairy farmers

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n example is the Karnataka government’s Ksheera Bhagya scheme, which offers free milk over and above the MDM food entitlement.

Pre-Covid, government schools in Karnataka were consuming about 47 tons of whole milk powder daily, or nearly 4 lakh kg per day (LKPD) of cow milk.

The shutting down of schools due to Covid-19 is affecting not only children, now unable to access cooked nutritional food under the Mid Day Meal (MDM) scheme, but also farmers for whom it provided an assured market.

An example is the Karnataka government’s Ksheera Bhagya scheme, which offers free milk over and above the MDM food entitlement. Under it, around 64 lakh children studying in 55,683 government schools from Class I to X, and another 39.5 lakh aged six months to six years in 64,000 anganwadi centres, across Karnataka are given 150 ml and 125 ml of milk, respectively daily for five days of the week.

“It is a significant market.

The supplies to schools have totally stopped, while we are continuing to deliver to the CDPOs (child development project officers) in different talukas (sub-districts).

They deal with the village/ward level anganwadi workers, who are to go to the doorstep of beneficiaries even while their centres are shut” said an official of the Karnataka Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation (KMF) that markets dairy products under the ‘Nandini’ brand.

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hen it comes to dairy farming one of the biggest enigmas is India.

Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday said that the government has decided to provide loans of Rs. 1.5 lakh without collateral to around 9,000 dairy farmers in the state under the central government’s Kishan credit card (KCC) scheme.

Sawant said that the state government will start a drive to disburse the loan to farmers from July 31.

The chief minister held a meeting with Goa Dairy, Surat district cooperative milk producers union ltd (Sumul) dairy, director and secretary of veterinary services along with officials of the State Bank of India (SBI) and Goa State Cooperative Bank.

Sawant said that there are around 9,000 milk farmers in the state, including two to three farmers in one family. “If we consider one farmer in each family then there are around 9,000 milk farmers in the state,” he said.

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Amul Aiming To Be In Top Three Global Dairy Companies

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ndia, the biggest dairy producer in the world, is now self-sufficient.

India’s Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd., (GCMMF), which markets the Amul brand of milk and dairy products has registered a turnover of Rs. 38,542 crores ($5.1bn) for the financial year 2019-20, which ended on March 31, 2020.

The sales turnover achieved by GCMMF is 17% higher than the previous financial year.

Group turnover of GCMMF and its constituent member unions, representing consolidated turnover of all products sold under Amul brand, exceeded Rs. 52,000 crores ($7bn). GCMMF said it is aiming to achieve a group business turnover of Rs. 1 lakh crore ($13.3bn) by 2024-25.

Amul was the 18th largest dairy organization in the world in the year 2011, and

is now the ninth largest. The company said its target is to be one of the top three.

Shri Ramsinhbhai P Parmar, GCMMF chairman, said during the last 10 years, milk procurement has increased by 138% from 909,300 liters per day in 2009-10 to 2.16m liters per day in 2019-20.

This growth was a result of the high milk procurement price paid to farmer members, which has increased by 127% from Rs. 337 per kg fat in 2009-10 to Rs. 765

per kg fat in 2019-20.

Shri Jethabhai Bharwad, vice chairman, GCMMF, said that, for the last 21 years, India has been the largest producer of milk in the world and is likely to retain this position with an annual growth rate of 5.5% over the past three to four years, compared to a global rate of 2.0%.

He added that the country can now produce enough milk for the domestic market.

Dr. R. S. Sodhi, managing director, GCMMF, noted that the government had made the announcement of a Rs. 150bn ($2bn) dairy infrastructure fund for the establishment of supply chain and dairy plants for enhancing dairy and milk processing capacity.

Amul sets record by launching 1 product every 4th day in last trimester

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mul is one of the India’s largest FMCG giant with a total turnover of more Rs 50000 Crores last year.

In first trimester of FY21, the company has launched one new product every fourth day. There have been 33 new product launches by Amul in this period which is a unique another reason for Amul’s girl to smile.

Amul has a wide distributor network of 10,000 distributors and a million retailers.

It helped them reach a billion customer every day, even during the lockdown period. Amul took advantage of its robust supply chain and pushed non dairy products like cookies during the lockdown.

Hotels , restaurants and caterers are the major consumer for cheese and accounts for one third of total cheese sales. During lockdown period this segment did not lift any cheese. Still during the March to June period, Amul saw a 30 percent growth in its cheese category. This is a recent shift

in consumer behaviour in India towards cheese and cheese products. During the lockdown period, the chocolates category too saw exponential growth during MarJune. Normally December and January are the months for such sales .

Need for new product development Convenience in food delivery and ease in consumption became a new normal during the lockdown. Health and nutrition with a great taste created a new paradigm of indulgence. Amul took note of these changing trends on the basis of consumption patterns.

Amul’s new product development team was churning out 10-12 new products every quarter. Amul decided to triple the number from first quarter onwards. Few of the launches by Amul included ‘Haldi, ginger and Tulsi Doodh under immunity booster category. Amul’s immunity boosting dairy products ‘Panchamrit’ a recent launch is becoming popular

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amongst consumers as a ritual’s necessity. Other launches are in FMCG category like Atta, vegetable oil , bakery, ice cream , etc. Mr Sodhi , MD GCMMF is positive about 15-17 % growth in this year. Amul’s offering in Non dairy food categories Amul is now looking beyond the dairy segment and plans to launch frozen foods and ready-to-eats.

Amul sells packaged sweets like Gulab Jamun and Rasmalai but they are eyeing bigger pie of the market in packed sweets segment. Till now except Haldiram and Bikanerwala no one else has a national presence in packaged sweets.

Amul is setting up a large potato processing plant in Banaskantha (North Gujarat).

The dairy major plans to roll out products like French Fries, Aloo tikki and even cheese and Paneer Parathas. At present, ITC and McCain have an established presence in the frozen foods space.

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Maharashtra govt mulls Rs. 5/litre direct subsidy transfer to milk farmers

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he move follows widespread protests by farmers, whose realisations dropped sharply during sectoral lockdowns . The Maharashtra government is planning to offer Rs 5/litre by way of subsidy transfer directly to milk farmers’ account as economic support, to prevent them from getting trapped in debt.

The move follows widespread protests by farmers, whose realisations dropped sharply during sectoral lockdowns.

Amid protests from the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, a political outfit led

by Member of Parliament Raju Shetti, the state government a held a virtual meeting with farmer institutions and associations, concerned political parties and other organisations. The state minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection

Vishwajit Patangrao Kadam, assured the gathering that the proposal of Rs. 5/litre of subsidy to milk farmers would be taken up in the next cabinet meeting and some positive decisions would be taken.

Following the assurance, the one-day protest was called off. The Sanghatana was bursting the tyres of tankers carrying milk and poured thousands of litres of milk on the road. “It was a one-day protest which was called off on assurances from the state government.

We also want the Centre to halt import of the proposed 10,000 tons of skimmed milk powder (SMP), create 30,000 tons of SMP buffer stock and offer an export subsidy of Rs. 50 a kg on shipments outside India. If these demands are not met, we

will take the next course of action in 8-10 days,” said Sandip Jagatap Kavi, State President, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana.

The agitation started after milk procurement prices slumped to Rs. 16 a litre in some parts of Maharashtra, as private dairies started taking undue advantage of sporadic lockdowns and eventual logistic disruptions. Milk being a perishable commodity, farmers were forced to sell at any price fixed by dairies. About two months ago, liquid cow milk sold at Rs. 30 a litre.

This means, milk prices have declined by almost 50 per cent in two months.

“This demand destruction has given an opportunity to arm twist farmers on milk prices. Private dairies are now procuring milk for as low as Rs. 16 a litre. In some regions, however, milk procurement price is slightly higher at Rs. 18, but that is still way below the production cost of about Rs. 25 a litre,” said Aabasaheb Deshmukh, Chairman, Shrimant Babasaheb Deskmukh Milk Producer Company Ltd, a Sangli-based dairy farmers-producers company registered with the state government.

Yogesh Pande, a social activist working for farmers, said, “Milk farmers are in deep distress as private dairies are taking undue advantage of farmers’ plight. Dairies are unwilling to increase milk procurement prices due to a sharp decline in the prices of SMP and butter.”

Milk farmers have also come together in others states such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to protest againsy low prices. “Farmers in Tamil Nadu poured thousands of litres of milk on road in protest,” said R S Sodhi, managing director, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), the producer of Amul products.

Meanwhile, SMP prices have recovered in the international market to trade currently at $2,694 a tons after hitting a low of $2,373 a tons on May 5. The commodity is still trading 10 per cent below its record price of $3,036 a tons this January.

In the domestic market, however, SMP is still quoted at Rs. 120-130 a kg in wholesale due to weak seasonal demand.

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India must stop misusing antibiotics in dairy sector, according to CSE report

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he CSE has expressed concern over antibiotic misuse by the world’s biggest milk producer, India, and says urgent and collaborative action must be taken.

Is the milk we consume safe? According to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), not really…

In July, the CSE hosted a virtual meeting to discuss the use of antibiotics within the world’s largest milk producer, India and from 2018 to 2019, the country produced a whopping 188 million tons.

However, a recent assessment conducted by the CSE has unearthed some “disturbing findings”.

“We have found that antibiotics are extensively misused in the dairy sector; antibiotic residues remain largely untested in milk, an integral part of Indian diets, particularly of children,” said CSE Director General Sunita Narain.

“While we continue to struggle against COVID-19, we are staring at another pandemic like situation – that of antibiotic resistance fuelled by the way we are producing our food, which has become chemical-intensive.”

The assessment, CSE said, demonstrates that dairy farmers are “indiscriminately” using antibiotics such as aminoglycosides, penicillin and third-generation cephalosporins and fluroquinolones for

common cattle diseases like mastitis.

These drugs are among some of the most important for humans. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that such antibiotics should be preserved in light of the growing resistance crisis.

Despite the law dictating that such antibiotics should only be available with via the prescription of registered veterinarian, the CSE said that some farmers are accessing them illegally and injecting animals on their own judgement and without any veterinary supervision.

CSE researchers have also pointed towards inadequate focus on testing for antibiotic residues in the milk collected by some state milk federations, which process it and sell packaged milk and dairy products under popular brands.

“Farmers often sell milk while the animal is under treatment, which increases the chances of antibiotic residues in the milk,” explained Amit Khurana, the CSE’s Food Safety and Toxins Programme Director.

“While milk sold directly to consumers is not tested, contrary to what one would expect, processed milk sold in packets is also largely unchecked for antibiotic residues.

“This explains why, despite pooling and processing, packed milk samples from several states had antibiotic residues in the FSSAI’s [Food

Safety and Standards Authority of India] milk quality survey of 2018.”

However, the CSE has said that the online consultation in July has brought forth promising signs of action from the industry.

He noted that “preventative aspects” are showing some success. “Information shared by various organisations, agencies and experts suggest that ethno-veterinary medicines, better management of sub-clinical mastitis, and good farm management are contributing towards reducing antibiotic misuse.”

Along with limiting the misuse of critical antibiotics such as penicillin, the CSE has recommended the modification of existing standards for antibiotic resides in milk and routine surveillance of these residues.

“India is now talking about antibiotic resistance in the one-health perspective,” noted Narain, who described the change in attitude as “remarkable” progress.

He continued: “There is a shared concern, and all voices are now together in expressing that concern.” As such he believes further (and necessary) action will be taken.

“We must ramp up surveillance and testing, put a complete stop to the use of critically important antibiotics and penalize their use,” he added, “and work with farmers and the agriculture-dairy sectors to innovate on solutions.”

Greater quality checks soon on milk, edible oil, honey, meat & poultry, says FSSAI new CEO IAS officer Arun Singhal details the new ways of testing and new regulations at the food regulator, and the reforms that are already underway.

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he Narendra Modi government plans to increase the quality checks on milk, edible oil, honey, meat and poultry through the counFSSAI CEO Arun Singhal try’s apex food regulator, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), according to the body’s new CEO, Arun Singhal. Sin-

ghal, a 1987 batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, was appointed to the FSSAI in May as part of a bureaucratic reshuffle by the Modi government, having earlier served as special secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The FSSAI falls within the ambit of the same ministry. In his first interview since his appointment, Singhal told The Print that apart from checks, FSSAI will identify more food products that are susceptible to adulteration, and identify the hotspots where this adulteration takes place. “Five

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food products which are susceptible to adulteration are now under the strict vigilance of the FSSAI. These products are milk, edible oil, honey, meat and poultry. More products will be added to the high-risk food items,” said Singhal.

“We will increase the scope of market surveillance to identify hot-spot areas of adulteration and conduct national-level surveys for milk, vegetable oils and all other high risk commodities,” he said, adding that the timeline for these surveys has not yet been decided.

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Strengthening Marketing Will Help Aavin Tide Over Crisis: Experts

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avin procures 40 lakh litres of milk a day, out of the 2 crore litres of milk produced in the State, selling around 24 lakh litres as milk.

Milk producers suggested that to reduce Aavin’s burden, the government could consider giving milk powder free of cost till November to all family card holders.

With surplus milk being produced in

tion till it is opened. It could lead to an increase in sales, especially in urban areas,” an industry expert said. “For pushing sales, Aavin needs to increase the sales margin of distributors. They only get Rs.1.50 per litre. Aavin can stop giving 75 paise per litre to carrying and forwarding agents, which can be passed onto others,” he said, adding that the milk major also has to increase the reach of its milk-based products.

“This is where Amul is managing to score,” he pointed out. Aavin sources said people were being encouraged to take their distributorship. “We have reduced the deposit amount to just Rs.1,000,” an official said.

the State and dairies unable to procure enough, industry experts are stressing the need for Aavin to strengthen its marketing and distribution network.

“The recently launched ultra high temperature treated (UHT) milk is a blessing now. Aavin needs to push that variety since it can be stored without refrigera-

But industry insiders say many private players gave various offers to distributors and retailers. “One company gives a few litres of milk free for every 120 litres sold additionally. But these are temporary measures,” a marketing executive in a private diary said. Aavin has to take continuous steps to increase processing capacity. Between 2013 and 2016, it added 11 lakh litres and built massive storage for butter and milk powder. But it was not

continued after that.“Assuming that the State producers 2 crore litres of milk a day, Aavin does not procure even a fourth of that. It procures 40 lakh litres of milk a day, selling around 24 lakh litres as milk.

Karnataka’s Nandini procures 80 lakh litres a day. We need to increase capacity if the interests of our farmers need to be safeguarded,” another expert said.

Milk producers suggested that to reduce Aavin’s burden, the government could consider giving milk powder free of cost till November to all family card holders.

“They are now converting milk into butter and milk powder. But due to lack of exports and no demand for these products, every diary is stocking them. Unless State and Central governments subsidise the sector in some way, farmers will be the ultimate sufferers,” said K.A. Sengottuvelu of the Tamil Nadu Milk Producers’ Welfare Association.

M.G. Rajendran, the association secretary, said farmers were suffering due to private diaries reducing procurement prices. For milk with 4% fat and 8% solids not fat, Aavin pays Rs.29.40 per litre.

Other diaries pay as less as Rs.21.60 per litre, he pointed out.

Mother Dairy To Expand Into Bread And Sweets As It Looks To Move Beyond Dairy

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he company will expand its reach of the new product after gauging the response of first phase, under which 1,800 stores in Delhi NCR will retail the new category. Dairy major Mother Dairy has announced its foray into bakery and confectionery business and has said that it will soon launch three varieties of bread in Delhi NCR. Dairy major Mother Dairy has announced its foray into bakery and confectionery business and has said that it will soon launch three varieties of bread in Delhi NCR. The FMCG company looks to These three variants are Brown bread, sandwich bread and milk and fruit bread, Sangram Chaudhary, managing director, Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable Private Limited, told reporters at a virtual event.

The company will expand its reach of the

new product after gauging the response of first phase, under which 1,800 stores in Delhi NCR will retail the new category.

Of Rs. 5,000 crore worth bread market , Mother dairy is looking at Rs. 100 crore business for now as the category is highly competitive. “This is the first time we are entering in bakery segemnt. We wanted to be very sure and have placed the product in 1,800 outlets which are visited by customers every day. We will assess the response and in phase 2, we will expand out

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of Delhi NCR,” Sanjay Sharma, business head — dairy products, Mother Dairy said at the event. In the first half of second year, we will expand retail business.

In the meanwhile, the company is going to announce about six new products in the coming time in nutrition and immunity categories. The newly launched bread portfolio will be available in four SKUs — Sandwich bread 500 gms pack to retail for Rs. 30, sandwich bread 700 gms pack will be available for Rs. 40, brown bread in 400 gms packaging to cost Rs. 30 and fruits and milk bread will be available at Rs. 15 for a 150 gms packaging. Currently, Britannia, Bonn Group, English Oven, Harvest Gold are some of the bread makers in India. Gujarat-based dairy major Amul had also recently launched its bread range in select cities.

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Prabhat Dairy: Rs.1,700-Cr Deal Under Sebi Lens

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n expense of Rs. 438 crore by Prabhat Dairy Ltd is one of the key focus areas’ for the forensic auditors, who are looking into the books of the company, sources familiar with the matter told Business Line. SEBI recently ordered a forensic probe after investor complaints piled up against the company promoters accusing them of ‘financial bungling.’ Grant Thornton has been appointed for the audit.

Sells new biz to Lactalis Prabhat Dairy had sold its fresh milk business in April 2019 to French firm Lactalis for Rs. 1,700 crore. In December 2019, it made a proposal to the stock exchanges to de-list. However, it has also claimed major expenses in its deal, which some shareholders say is an excuse to keep the delisting offer price low. The company has 16,000 retail investors. The company has also not filed its results after December 2019. SEBI has held back the company’s delisting application for more than seven months. The full market-cap of Prabhat Dairy is around Rs.700 crore, despite the fact that its deal alone to sell

a large segment of its business gives the company Rs. 1,700 crore. Prabhat Dairy had managed to raise Rs. 485 crore in its initial public offering in 2016. Nearly 50 per cent of shareholding in the company is with the public. As per a recent statutory filing by Prabhat Dairy, the company is showing “estimated transaction costs and taxes” on sale of shares and business sale, even 1.5 years after striking the deal. The company has shown Rs. 204 crore as indemnity, for claims arising in future and Rs. 234 crore as ‘management estimate’ of taxes. Both of these are being examined by the forensic auditors, the sources said.

The shareholders want the auditor and SEBI to do a detailed probe about all the expenditures claimed by the company including the receipts of the tax worth Rs. 234 crore and indemnity amount of Rs. 204crore.

Gets nod for delisting The company did not comment on the probe on its expenses but said, “The company does not comment on speculations.

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Requisite disclosures related to the audit have been made by the company to exchanges. Company has sought a shareholder vote regarding the delisting offer made by promoters and already secured 99 per cent voting in favour of the resolution, which includes all institutional investors. Once we receive delisting approvals shareholders will have an opportunity to exit as a price discovered through reverse book building.”

The institutional investors of Prabhat Dairy include Ontario Pension Board, Mondrian Investment Partners, Sundaram Alternate Opportunities Fund, Mondrian Emerging Markets Fund, India Agri-business Fund and Societe De Promotion amongst its top public shareholders.

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Giriraj Singh Launches Guidelines For Animal Husbandry Infra Fund

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nion Minister Giriraj Singh on Thursday launched the implementation guidelines for the Rs. 15,000 crore Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) that seeks to boost processing capacities in dairy and meat segments.

The fund was approved by the Union Cabinet on June 24 under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan stimulus package.

It aims to incentivise investment by individual entrepreneurs, private companies, MSMEs, Farmers Producers Organisation (FPOs) and Section 8 companies to establish dairy and meat processing and value addition infrastructure as well as animal feed plants, an official statement said. As per the guidelines, the project under AHIDF would be eligible for loan up to 90 per cent of estimated cost from scheduled banks. The Centre will provide 3 per cent interest subsidy on these loans.

While releasing the guidelines, the Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister said the government is focusing on breed improvement to increase milk production as well as working towards enhancing processing capacities, the statement said. India is producing 188 million tonne milk and this is set to in-

crease to 330 million tonne by 2024. Only 20-25 per cent milk is being processed and the government is trying to bring the same up to 40 per cent. He said the Dairy Processing Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) is being implemented for infrastructure development in cooperative sector and AHIDF is first such scheme for the private sector. Millions of farmers will be benefited once the infrastructure is created and more milk will be processed.

This will also increase export of dairy products which is presently negligible.

India needs to go up to the standards of countries like New Zealand in the dairy sector, Singh said.

He expressed satisfaction that during COVID-19 lockdown, dairy farmers could maintain steady supply of milk to the consumers. AHIDF has been set up as MSMEs and private companies also need to be promoted and incentivised for their involvement in processing and value addition infrastructure.

The eligible beneficiaries under the scheme would be FPOs, MSMEs, Section 8 companies, private companies and individual entrepreneurs with minimum 10 per cent margin money contribution by them. The balance 90 per cent would be the loan component to be made available by scheduled banks. The Centre will provide 3 per cent interest subvention to eligible beneficiaries. There will be 2-year moratorium for principal loan amount and 6-year repayment period thereafter.

The central government would also set up Credit Guarantee Fund of Rs. 750 crore to be managed by NABARD. Credit guarantee would be provided to those sanctioned

projects which are covered under MSME defined ceilings, the statement said. The guarantee coverage would be up to 25 per cent of credit facility of borrower. The beneficiaries intending to invest for establishing dairy and meat processing and value addition infrastructure or strengthening of the existing infrastructure can apply for loan in the scheduled bank through “Udyami Mitra” portal of SIDBI, it added. There is huge potential waiting to be unlocked in investment through private sector, the statement noted.

The Rs. 15,000 crore AHIDF and the interest subvention scheme for private investors will ensure availability of capital to meet upfront investment required for these projects and also help enhance overall returns/ pay back for investors, it said.

Since almost 50-60 per cent of final value of dairy output in India flows back to farmers, growth in this sector can have significant direct impact on the farmers income.

The investment incentivisation in AHIDF would not only leverage seven times private investment but would also motivate farmers to invest more on inputs thereby driving higher productivity leading to increase in farmers incomes. The measures approved through AHIDF would also help in direct and indirect livelihood creation for 35 lakh persons, the statement said.

Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Pratap Chandra Sarangi said the government has decided to vaccinate 53.5 crore animals and 4 crore animals have already been vaccinated, it said.

Punjab CM Launches Immunity Boosting Milk Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh launched a nutritional drink ‘Verka haldi’ or turmeric milk, produced by Milkfed to boost people’s immunity amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Patiala. It offers 10 times higher absorpunjab Chief Minister Amarinder drink among consumers, who were now tion for the human body than normal ‘halSingh launched a nutritional drink looking for alternate ways to stay healthy di’, he said. Verka Haldi Dudh has been ‘Verka haldi’ or turmeric milk, and boost their immunity in the fight launched, as part of Mission Fateh, at a produced by Milkfed to boost people’s against coronavirus. price of Rs. 25 for 200 ml which is withimmunity amid the Covid-19 pandemic. in the reach of all sections of society and Describing it as an appropriate time to On the occasion, Cooperation Minister will be beneficial for health of young and launch this versatile product, packed with Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said the old alike. the rich medicinal properties of turmer- Verka milk had been prepared by using a ic (haldi) as an immunity booster and a unique ‘haldi’ formulation, that had been The product will be available at all manatural healer, the Chief Minister hoped developed and patented by Department of jor retail outlets and Verka booths, said the milk would soon emerge as a popular Biotechnology of Punjabi University in Randhawa.

P

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Ghee adulteration racket: Dudhsagar Dairy MD suspended

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ollowing directions from the state government, Mehsana-based Dudhsagar Dairy (Mehsana District Milk Co-operative Federation Ltd) suspended its managing director Nishit Baxi with immediate effect and informed the state

Goa Dairy May Hike Milk Procurement Rate

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onda: Though the Covid-19 pandemic has largely affected most businesses, milk farmers in Goa have something to cheer about as the Goa Dairy the rates of milk procurement from September.

government about the action. The government asked the Dudhsagar dairy board to take strict action after over 600 metric tons of ghee produced by the dairy under the Amul, Sagar and other brands, was found to be adulterated. The state registrar of co-operatives ordered an investigation and action against all those responsible.

Investigations so far revealed that over 600 metric tons of ghee, worth over Rs. 47 crore, was adulterated with palm oil, at a dairy operated by Dudhsagar.

Some 118 batches packed by Dudhsagar Dairy were been found to be adulterated with 16% palm oil. Another 512 metric tons of packed ghee is still at branch

Asource from Goa Dairy has revealed that though a formal decision has not been taken, the administrative committee is seriously mulling over hiking the rates

by Rs. 1.5 per litre of milk supplied by a farmer to the dairy. If the milk rate is hiked by Rs. 1.5 per litre, then the dairy will have to shoulder the burden of Rs. 1 lakh daily.

However, the source ruled out the possibility of a hike in the selling price of milk. Last year, from August 2019, the dairy had increased the procurement rates of cow milk by Rs. 2 a litre and buffalo milk by Rs. 7 a litre from July 2019. Presently, the farmers get Rs 28.14 for milk with 3.5% fat and 8.5% SNF (solids not fat), Rs. 29.57 for milk with 4% fat and 8.5% SNF, Rs. 31 for milk with 4.5% fat and 8.5% SNF, Rs. 32.44 for milk with 5% fat and 8.5% SNF, and Rs. 33.51 for milk with 5% fat and 9% SNF. The source said that the cooperative union procures around 60,000 litres of cow milk per day from local farmers and a tanker of around 13,000 litres of high fat milk on every alternative day from Karnataka.

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godowns of the dairy and samples of these will also be checked. If any are found to be adulterated, these will be sent back to Dudhsagar Dairy and it will be charged for the loss. D. P. Desai, registrar, co-operative societies, had said in an order that there is a clear case of negligence against the managing director of Dudhsagar Dairy and asked the board of directors to suspend him as it is not prudent for him to continue while an investigation is on.

The official said that even as investigation is on, the Gujarat Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA) ought to carry out an independent investigation into the racket.

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Enhancing the quality of milk with bacteria-removing clarifiers from GEA

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products like cheese, low heat milk products require low heat treatment. Aerobic spores reduce the quality of drinking milk while anaerobic spore formers could spoil the finished products.

The bacteria clarification is very important when whey protein concentrates (WPC) are separated from the clarified and separated whey. The WPC process conditions (long periods, optimal temperatures) allow a high rate of bacterial growth which only can be avoided using bacterial clarifiers.

ntroduction India is the world’s largest producer and consumer of milk, producing over 22% (196 million metric ton production in 2019) of the total milk supply globally. Milk is the single largest agriculture commodity in terms of value.The Indian Dairy Industry has shown consistent growth over last two decades and will continue to grow at a rate of 6% CAGR over the next few years.

further. In cheese production, those spores are thereason of quality issues during ripening.

Country’s total milk processing capacity stands at 90 MMT. With such a huge magnitude of dairy infrastructure, there is an upward demand for sustainable and advanced technologies for milk processing with major focus on optimizing the yield and minimizing environmental impact. Apart from this, the hygienic quality of milk is of crucial importance in producing milk and milk products that are safe and best in quality. To achieve this, good hygiene practices should be applied throughout the supply chain.

Bacterial clarificationprocess Bacterial clarification is a process in which milk is subjected to a centrifugal force in order to remove micro-organisms based on their density difference (skim milk – 1.036 g/cm3; bacteria – 1.07 – 1.13 g/cm3). Usually, this process is carried out at temperatures ranging between 52 to 5800C. A higher temperature range will result in removal of protein from the milk and a lower temperature range will decrease the efficiency since there is no significant difference in density.

However, here are some of the challenges faced by the Indian dairy industry today: • Inadequate cold chain infrastructure at collection centers • Inadequate milk testing facilities and equipment • Low awareness on milk hygiene • Wide-spread collection base and limited processing capacities The above factors are creating ideal atmosphere for germs to breed exponentially.

Raw milk usually carries undesirable constituents like dirt, blood udder cells (somatic cells) and the entire bacteria flora.

The high bacterial load and pathogens in the milk not only lead to diarrheal diseases or vomiting, but also decrease the shelf life of the milk and milk-based products.

Furthermore, heat resistant spores may cause product defect and spoilage, especially in Ultra High Temperature (UHT) milk, dairy powders and cheese.

Image: Bowl cross-section of a bacteriaremoving separator

prevented effectively through the application of bacteria-removing centrifuges.

Therefore, the focus should not be only to kill the germs but also remove the germ-loaded mass from the milk. With simple heating, the killed biomass will remain in the milk. The heat-resistant spores, that are not eliminated, can grow

The need for bacteria clarification in the dairy industry The dairy industry is using milk pasteurization process since ages which is insufficient to remove heat resistant bacteria forms. Also, some of the value-added

Benefits ofusing BRC’s • Reduces the chances of spoilage of products • Non-thermal method, reduces negative effects of heat on milk • Improves efficiency and downtime of

Since 1970s, the bacteria removing clarifier (BRC) from GEA has been the most suitable and widely accepted technology by dairy industry worldwide.The BRC not only removes bacteria from the raw milk but also improves milk quality and product safety.

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Furthermore, BRCs have a major role to play in the processing of Extended Shelf Life (ESL) milk. Here, two bacterial clarifiers are arranged in series. The first clarifier reduces the bacterial count by 90 % and the second clarifier further brings it to 99.9 %. This is a patented GEA prolong process.

GEA’sbacterial removing clarifiers separates spore formers The BRC separates spore formers such as Bacillus cereus, that is heat-resistant up to 128 °C and cold-tolerant at the same time, which negatively impacts the shelf life of the drinking milk due to sweet coagulation. Many cheese defects can likewise be

25 pasteurizers by reducing bacterial load in upstream milk • Lower chance of reinfection as cell mass is removed from the milk • Increased shelf life with lower cell counts • Better taste • Achievement of quality standards, product specifications or legal requirements • Salient features of BRC’s by Gentle product treatment as low feed pressure is required • Solid bowl spindle that firmly holds the high-speed rotating separator bowl, giving greater stability to the machines • Advantages of belt drive over gear drive- that have better dynamic and static balancing leading to a safe working environment for the operating staff and need for less spare parts for replacement.

Moreover, energy transmission is better in belt driven machines with fewer losses.

• Hydro-hermetic design helps the air entrapped in the milk to beejected from the bowl. This design does not require any special/ mechanical seals and helps

in saving spare costs. Cooling water for seals is also eliminated in our machines.

• Easy to maintain desludging system are based on hydraulics that requires lesser number of components.

• Recirculation design increases the bacterial clarification efficiencies Increased protein yield with GEA proplus The bacteria removing separators can be optionally equipped with the proplus system. With proplus it is possible to extend the ejection intervals during production up to six-fold compared to conventional bacteria-removing separators. The result is a significant boost in protein yield from the raw milk used by means of consistent loss minimization of up to 75%. In addition, there is a decrease in costs for wastewater, maintenance and wear.

GEA BRC experience in India GEA BRC machines are well proven and trusted by Indian dairy industry. By conducting various product trials and analysis, we have found the following results achievable under the optimum process

conditions – • Bacterial count reduction ranging from minimum 75-90% (upto 95%) • Spores reduction up to 99% • Somatic cell reduction up to 95% • Increased shelf life of milk and milk product • Increasing the acceptability of milk Conclusion Bacterial spores are present in raw milk and any negligence on the part of the producers and processors can create quality problems, especially inthe production of high value dairy products like cheese and UHT milk.

The bacteria-removing clarifiers from GEA can provide an optimal solution to avoid such problems associated with spores, bacteria etc. Use GEA’s richexperience for bacterial clarification under Indian conditions and get optimal performance. The sophisticated proplustechnology will further help to reduce the losses and ensure maximum profits.

DuPont Launches Series of Cultures to e-shape Fermented Dairy Industry

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ew dairy cultures allow for the production of optimal yogurt for both consumers and producers

DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences (DuPont) today announced the launch of the latest series of dairy cultures and probiotic formulations for China, offering yogurt producers a new solutions for differentiation today and positioning them for future growth.

These new cultures enable faster fermentation and higher probiotic counts while maintaining a mild taste and premium texture for consumers. The new cultures include: • YO-MIX® PRIME – The YO-MIX® PRIME cultures offer manufacturers the ability to create optimal mildness and premium creamy texture for consumers. The culture enables the reduction of added sugars and a high probiotic count, while maintaining quality throughout challenging distribution channels.

It also allows manufacturers to save on formulation costs by reducing protein addition in recipes, and greater process

flexibility due to fast fermentation and full control of acidity before cooling and packaging. YO-MIX® PRIME 900 offers manufacturers the option to fine tune the texture of yogurt according to consumer preferences.

• YO-MIX® FAST 1.0 – The YO-MIX® FAST 1.0 cultures enable fast fermentation, delivers thick and smooth texture, and are adapted to different yogurt recipes and processes. Discovered and designed by French scientists, YO-MIX® FAST 1.0 is manufactured in the French Alps and protected with a China-granted patent (patent no. ZL 200910224873.X).

• DuPont™ Danisco® LPC 800 – The German-made DuPont™ Danisco® LPC 800 cultures allow for refreshing beverages without too much acidity, while maintaining high Lactobacillus bacteria count until the end of product shelf life. Compared to market alternatives, it enables faster fermentation within 24 hourswhich helps to reduce the risk of contamination.

DuPont™ Danisco® LPC 800 is an ideal choice in low-sugar recipes, resulting in a more stable and refreshing flavor than

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currently available cultures.

• HOWARU® Bifido – HOWARU® Bifido combined with YO-MIX® cultures creates new opportunities for a higher dose of documented probiotics in premium probiotic yogurt.

“These new yogurt cultures demonstrate how market driven innovation, combined with local expertise in regions around the world, brings faster fermentation, higher probiotic counts, milder taste and a healthier brand image to fermented dairy products,” said Morten Boesen, global product line manager, Dairy Cultures, DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences.

“This is the latest from DuPont’s extensive range of yogurt and fermented milk cultures that lowers formulation costs for our customers while maintaining quality and taste for consumers, effectively reshaping the future of fermented dairy products.”

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Indian Dairy Sector: Shaping up White Revolution 2.0

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he Indian dairy industry has been a mainstay of farmer livelihood since the inception of civilization in India.

The cow has been a symbol of prosperMr. Mohit Bhasin, ity for long. India Partner, KPMG India can be considered as the land of the ancient White Revolution and today, about 80 Million households are involved in milk production here. Dairy is especially important as an income source for millions of landless, small & marginal farmers.

The entire country has witnessed the rise of dairy barons such as Amul and Nandini Dairy not only providing employment to millions across the country but also empowering women financially. The dairy cooperative movement led by Amul successfully corporatized the informal segment, creating several entrepreneurs ultimately leading to the While Revolution (referred by author as White Revolution 1.0)in India and an Atma Nirbhar Bharat in milk production.

Today, India is the largest dairy producer of milk in the world (187.7 MT in 2019) with an impressive CAGR of 11% in the last decade. Dairy has also emerged as a leading food segment in terms of high level of processing (35%) as compared to other segments such as fruits & vegetables (2%).

The sector is geared towards a promising future in India with an estimated market size of USD 364 Bn by 2025 . Significant opportunities exist in the domestic market particularly in value added products and exports. India is now set for White Revolution 2.0 moving from Atma Nirbhar Bharat to a Global force in dairy sector led by an era of quality production and innovation. A holistic approach aimed at improvements across the value chain with standards matching global bestis the need of hour. Some of the possible interventions for India are outlined below.

Improving productivity of Milch Animals Though India commands the highest share in dairy production globally (22% global share) and has a huge bovine population (~18% of the world’s bovine population), the productivity of Milch animals in India (1.3 MT/ Animal), way behind United States (10.5), European Union (7.2), Canada (10.7) and New Zealand (4.3) is significantly less than that of other countries (~8 MT/animal). As per Niti Aayog Report “Demand and Supply Projections Towards 2033” there will be a deficit of 117 MMT of dry fodder, 400 MMT of green fodder & 40 MMT of concentrate by 2025 ). As per the 19thLivestockcensus, the country has 300 million bovines of which 212 million are unproductive animals ).

India needs to enhance its focus on quality feed production and management and increased coverage of programs ensuring cattle health (such as National Animal Disease Control Programme) & breed improvement.

Create ecosystem through large players Large private players that have presence throughout the value chain and a focus on backward integration can create ecosystems by empowering farmers with knowhow about quality feed, cattle health and processing technologies for value addition. Some of the leading companies are working directly with farmers by providing them with technology inputs, quality seeds and good cropping techniques to improve the quality of crops in agriculture sector. Such initiatives have brought in dual advantage of ensured high quality supply to the firm and assured market to farmers. Similar initiatives may be replicated in the dairy sector.

Increase processing capacities through organized sector According to Mr. Atul Chaturvedi , Secretary, Animal Husbandry, Govt. of India (GoI), “the dairy sector should not be looked at as a programme for poverty alleviation but as a form of pure economics”. India needs to undergo a paradigm shift in the approach for the development

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of dairy sector by shifting focus towards higher value addition, increasing quality and size of the sector with support of organized sector. Considering, the projected demand for milk in India is set to be 274 MMT by 2030, efficient handling of the projected milk production will need an increase in the share of the organized sector to ~65%.

A growth in the organized sector would mean creation of additional chilling capacities, milk processing infrastructure along with additional drying capacities & dairy products manufacturing infrastructure and Feed supplement infrastructure.

Attract investments from Global players Large players from across the globe should be invited to bring the best dairy technologies and mechanisms to drive product innovation in India particularly in value-added segment. India should aggressively promote bilateral cooperation with countries pioneering in dairy sector such as USA, Brazil, New Zealand etc.

There is only one global company in the Top 5 companies in Indian dairy sector.

The company has a meager share of 3% in the organized segment. Several global dairy giants - Fonterra, Danone, Carlyle tried to enter the Indian market in the early 2000s but most of these attempts did not meet with much success. The main reasons are low focus on quality and low penetration of processed milk/VADP products in India compared to developed countries (2.8 kg/yr in India vs 15.6 kg/ yr in Europe & USA).However, the last few years have seen the steady rise of the private dairy players who are investing in developing an efficient milk procurement network as well as marketing of fluid milk and VADPs. This has allowed other global players such as Lactalis, Fonterra, Danone etc. to start making inroads into the Indian diary market in recent times.

Capitalize the opportunity created due to Covid The unfortunate outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic has had an interesting impact on the sector. There has been a reduction in demand from the HoReCa segment which has halted institutional VADP sales that account for almost 20% of the organized dairy segment’s revenue. Demand for cold and frozen products like ice cream has also taken a hit. The unorganised segment has also been impacted significant.

However, the household demand for processed dairy products in India has accelerated. This has seen large dairy players

27 especially large cooperatives such as Amul turn this crisis into an opportunity by catering to the demand for processed milk, milk solids and packaged fresh milk products. These cooperatives modified their supply chains for ensuring uninterrupted supply of milk to consumers and procured ~ 8-10% more milk than normal volume of procurement. Amul also strengthened its portfolio into traditional value-added products while strengthening its reach into rural areas.

Capture Value Added Exports Potential Traditional focus on dairy as a welfare sector has also had an impact on the overall quality. A direct area of impact are the milk exports, where India commands a meagre 0.5% share globally with a slow growth rate of 5%. As per industry discussions, the main reasons for lag in exports is quality and price i.e. non-compliant veterinary practices as per the developed countries’ standards as well as trade barriers of various nations such as Canada, USA, Australia, etc. on Indian dairy imports mainly due to their poor nutritional quality. The focus on quality and high value addition with economies of scale will allow Indian dairy industry to enhance its share in exports where a significant potential exists particularly in VADP segment such as SMP, butter, butter oil, cheese, UHT milk. This needs to be aug-

mented by focusing on dairy exports in trade relations to ensure there are no trade barriers for Indian dairy products.

Major Schemes by GOI Government of India has launched several schemes for the development of Dairy Sector. Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme (supporting development at grassroots level), Dairy Processing and Infrastructure Development Fund (improving efficiencies of milk procurement & processing) and Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (INR 15,000 crore scheme for creation of processing and value addition infrastructure in dairy) are fueling the development of the dairy sector. NDP II has been planned to enhance milk processing capacity, in-

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frastructure and quality testing equipment at critical points in procurement area.

‘National Milk Safety and Quality Survey 2018’ rules out the myth of large-scale adulteration of milk in India , the launch of Quality Mark by NDDB which saw 7 Cooperative Dairy plants get certified voluntarily in the first year itself and FSSAI’s work on bringing consistency between Indian & global standards based on CODEX need to be popularized further and implemented with greater efficiency.

The White Revolution 2.0 is in making in India and by the right set of interventions, India has the potential to become the global leader in dairy production. It needs to capitalize on the platform already built by cooperatives and take it to the next level driven by quality and innovation.

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Dairy in Asia Pacific

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airy is defined as a business enterprise that deals with the processing and harvesting of animal milk for human consumpMr. Manish Singh, tion. Some of Director R & D, Nutrition & FSQ, the common Fonterra India Subcontinent milch animals include cow, buffalo, goat, camel and sheep.

tries like China and India alone, but even smaller countries like Vietnam, Pakistan, Laos, Bangladesh and Philippines are also contributing to it.

This growth rate is expected to continue going forward as well due to this healthy economic diversity within the region.

According to a global dairy market report, the estimated global market value for dairy reached a value of US$ 673.8 Billion in 2019 and projected to grow to US$ 1032.7 Billion by 2024.

The developed markets for dairy like North America and Western Europe are struggling to achieve positive growth as the consumer trend has been to shift out of the category due to either environmental concerns or with digestive issues.

However, the Asia Pacific market has been leading the growth in dairy. Dairy has been a key component of diets in the Asia Pacific region for a very long time.

While the formats of consumption can vary from one country to another, consumers believe in the importance of dairy in their diets. The region accounts for about half of the world’s population, but the per capita consumption of dairy is still the lowest globally, both in terms of value and volume.

Source : Euromonitor The top 3 categories that constitute the category in the region are the drinking milk, yoghurt & sour milk products and cheese. The drinking milk category includes fresh milk, shelf stable milk and flavoured milk drinks.

The large absolute value growth of yoghurt and sour milk products in China, India and Japan, due to rising health awareness, has tended to overshadow ro-

As per the 2017 estimates, the per capita consumption in value terms in Asia Pacific was only about 25 USD as compared to more than 200 USD in Western Europe.

bust growth in drinking milk products in several other markets, including India.

Going forward, yoghurt and sour milk category will continue to clock in robust double-digit growth. Cheese has been the other category that has been growing in all the markets and will continue doing so with a projected CAGR of 5.5%.

Source: Euromonitor In Asia, milk output in 2019 increased by 10 million tonnes, or by 2.9 percent from 2018, to nearly 360 million tonnes, with over 90 percent of coming from India and Pakistan. India’s milk production continued to increase driven by rising demand, induced by high demand for processed food stemming from fast growing urbanization. Production growth is facilitated by rising milk collection and processing, especially by dairy co-operatives.

Source: FAO Key enablers for future

growth The APAC region will continue this growth momentum in the future, and this presents a huge opportunity for the manufacturers. The current per capita consumption for the dairy category is the lowest in the region and this will ensure that the consumer demand will keep growing over the years.

At the same time, there is a big opportunity that can be leveraged through premiumization of the portfolio, especially in the developing countries, thereby increasing the share of wallet.

Apart from this, the following trends will be a big enabler in ensuring that dairy category continues to be at the forefront of growth in the region:

In the last few years, this inherent latent demand in the region has been unlocked due to two primary factors; one being the increase in the purchasing power and second being the rising health awareness amongst the consumers.

Emergence of supermarkets: Supermarkets represent an important pillar in supporting the growth of chilled dairy products like yoghurt, cheese and drinking milk. In Asia Pacific, while the major channel of

As a result of this, the Asia Pacific region has seen a robust growth of about 4% CAGR in last few years and has now become biggest dairy market globally. This growth is driven not only by large coun-

Dairy Times

29 Consumers are becoming more health conscious with their food choices. It is very common to hear the terms ‘clean label’, ‘high protein, ‘no preservatives’ and ‘healthy foods’ in a consumer group.

distribution is quite varied for different markets, there is a general shift towards supermarkets. Outlet expansion is a common phenomenon across the region.

Consumers believe that modern grocery retailers are more effective in maintaining products’ freshness. In addition, supermarkets tend to offer various product discounts and promotions, especially for multipack products and bulk purchases, unlike traditional grocers.

Convenience of e-commerce: Ecommerce can be an enabler for growth as it can help assure freshness of the product. At the same time, better use of technology and data will help target consumers with tailored offers. South Korea and China have particularly significant internet retailing sales of dairy products, such as through 11Street and G Market. Some sites even provide one-day delivery, which helps to assure customers that product freshness is retained. Improvements to cold chain logistics are expected to further boost online sales of dairy.

For example, in China, since consumers are moving away from additives, the category is shifting from flavoured milk to fresh milk. In Japan, while the categories like drinking milk, butter and margarine are declining, yoghurt is a growing category due to probiotics.

Impact of COVID on the dairy industry in the region In the last three months, everyone has been trying to deal with the disruptions in supply chain and the demand. Now the focus has shifted to understanding the medium- and long-term impacts and preparing for it. The silver lining in this situation is that the outlook does not seem to be as grim as it was perceived to be at the height of the lockdown.

As the lockdown is being lifted in different markets, there are different views on how the economy will respond. It will be prudent to wait for some more time to assess the actual strength of the markets.

The general view is that many countries will move into a cycle of economic recession, which clubbed with higher unemployment rate, will probably dampen the demand over next few quarters. In view of the muted demand during the lock-

Digitalisation for transparency: Consumers want more transparency through the entire value chain to believe that the product has been delivered in a safe and secure manner. One of the key questions in the mind of the consumer is “Can I trust the source?” This lack of trust is more evident in dairy given that there has been a few negative news on adulteration in the recent past. New technologies such as blockchain, which records transactions in a tamper and revision-proof way, could potentially be used to track the ingredient information and how it was handled in the value chain.

down, the milk processing companies have moved to producing more of the products that have longer shelf life like powders.

This higher level of inventory will put pressure on the cash flows. Also, the muted local demand will also impact the import demand across many countries.

Heavy inventories and reduced demand growth will weigh on the global milk prices into 2021.

While the retail sales will eventually return to the normal levels, the trend of home-cooking could potentially mean that the manufacturers will have to rejig their portfolio. The trend of home-cooking will also have a significant impact on food service part of the business, which will take a longer time to recover.

However, the pandemic has prompted consumers to pay greater attention to their health, and to seek ways to protect it by adopting ‘preventative health’ measures such as strengthening their immune system.

Based on the initial trends, the pandemic has helped revitalise the dairy products as the dairy brands are well positioned to offer affordable, safe and nutritious options to consumers seeking to strengthen their immunity and overall health. Every country in the region has a strong heritage of ‘local healthy ingredients’ and these can be a product platform that manufacturers should leverage, for example Ayurveda in India.

“Haldiwala doodh” need no introduction to Indian consumers for the health benefits that it can deliver. A lot of us are anyway drinking of tulsi, giloy, black pepper etc in various combinations to boost our immunity. Can we incorporate some of these into dairy products? The other trend that we need to think about is personalisation or customisation of products based on the consumers requirements.

This would be a much-anticipated innovation that can potentially be delivered through innovation of product, packaging or delivery model. If we can get this right, this could be a holy grail for the consumer !

Consumer need for healthy food choices:

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A Bi-Monthly Magazine Devoted to Milk, Milk-Products & Allied Sectors

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Mr. Sugreev Shinde, Ph.D. scholar, College of Food Technology, VNMKV, Parbhani

Dr. A. R. Sawate, Associate Dean and

Effects of Soft Drink in Consumption of Nutrition and Health

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o party or celebration is complete without a range of soft drinks that titillate our taste buds before temporarily quenching our thirst. Aerated drinks are harmful for our society specially the youth and are responsible for the epidemic of obesity.

consumption of soft drinks in the UK has increased slightly from 2010 to 2015 by 0.2%. In 2015; 13.3 billion litres of soft drinks were consumed compared with 13.2 in 2010 with more than half (58%) of the consumption was of no or low calorie types (0–20 kcal per 100 ml).

Such drinks are popular in all age groups, in fact; kids and teens consider such drinks to be an inseparable part of their lives. However, health conscious people have acknowledged the ill effects of consuming such sugar sweetened beverages; fondly referred to as soft drinks.

Commercial soft drinks first appeared in 1884 when a product called “Moxie” was made by a drugstore owner in Lisbon Falls in the USA. Soon afterwards, similar products appeared including Coca-Cola® and Pepsi-Cola®. Over the past century, soft drinks have changed dramatically from being a local pharmacy

Regular consumption of such drinks in the long run leads to weight gain and has an adverse effect on our cardio metabolic health in this term encompasses heart related disorders and metabolic disorders such as diabetics. Having appropriate recommendations that would help cut down the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages is thus the need of the hour. Just like on a cigarette pack; there should be a warning printed on soft drinks “IT IS INJURIOUS TO HEALTH”.

Mr. Rushikesh Mane, Ph.D. scholar, College of Food Technology, VNMKV, Parbhani

product to worldwide industry that earns $60 billion and produce 1 billion litres per year. These changes have been due to advances in manufacturing technology and marketing innovations.

Effect of soft drinks on general Health and Nutrition: Soft drinks are often high in sugar content and acidity. Each gram of sugar contains 4 calories. In addition, they supply energy only and are of little nutritional benefit.

Several studies have shown that soft drink with high sugar and acid content consumption can contribute to detrimental general and oral health effects on children and adolescents including an increasing risk of overweight, obesity, type 2 diabetes, dental caries and dental erosion.

Obesity has recently emerged as a major global health problem. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) recommend a diet where a maximum 5% of the energy comes from free sugars.

The SACN reported that nearly a third of children aged 2–15 years living in the UK are overweight or obese, and that younger generations are becoming obese at earlier ages and staying so for longer. In the USA, two out of three adults and one out of three children are overweight or obese with over 18% of 6–19 year olds are above the 95th percentiles of body mass index (BMI), for age and gender.

Soft drinks include carbonated drinks, still and juice drinks, dilutables, fruit juices, bottled waters, sports and energy drinks (British Soft Drinks Association Annual Report).

A rising consumption of sugar-containing soft drinks has been suggested as a major contributor to the obesity epidemic. The increase in intake of sugar-containing soft drink

According to the British Soft Drinks Association Annual Report to the overall

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32 has coincided with rising body weights and energy intakes in several populations.

In the USA, the per capita annual consumption of regular soft drink increased by 86% between 1970 and 1997 alone.

During that period of time, the prevalence of obesity rose by 112%.

Overweight and obesity can have major costs for individuals and their families as well as for the health care systems. It increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease as well as doubles the risk of dying prematurely.

Type 2 diabetes has also emerged as a global public health concern, parallel to the global trends in the prevalence of obesity. Along with the increased consumption of soft drinks, there has been a rapid and large increase in the reported incidence of type 2 diabetes.

High consumption of soft drinks was related to low consumption of milk, calcium, fruit and dietary fibres contributing to an overall poorer diet. The high intake of carbonated soft drinks during adolescence was significantly associated with reduced bone mineral density among girls aged 12 and 15 years.

Calcium is found mainly in dairy products and is an essential nutrient for the structural integrity of bone and for maintaining bone density throughout, whereas, carbonated soft drinks contain mostly empty calories.

Energy drinks are often high in caffeine to enhance the mental and physical performance, improve alertness, and concen-

tration. The amount of caffeine in most of the energy drinks is usually three times the concentration in cola drinks. They are available in the market of more than 140 countries and are the fastest growing soft drink sector not only in the USA and UK but also worldwide.

Although moderate consumption of caffeine can be tolerated by most healthy people, studies showed that its high consumption (> 400 mg per day) has been associated with adverse effects on health including anxiety, restlessness, aggression, headaches, and depression.

A prolonged exposure to high intakes of caffeine, levels greater than 500–600 mg a day, can result in chronic toxicity leading to nervousness, nausea, vomiting, seizures and cardiovascular symptoms in severe cases. Sugar sweetened beverages although soothing to the taste buds, are harmful for our body, especially when consumed regularly.

Obesity compounded with an increased risk of heart problems and diabetes are some of the most prominent health issues that can be attributed to these drinks. People who savour such drinks must therefore take these ill effects into consideration. It would be beneficial to give up on such drinks but one can definitely start by gradually decreasing the consumption of such soft drinks.

Nutritional Composition Soft drinks may make a valuable contribution to fluid intake and have become, to some extent, established as part of the daily diet, particularly of young children and adolescents. The nutritional value of a number of readily available soft drinks is shown in Table.

Squashes, crushes, cordials, and carbonated drinks are, however, of little nutritional value (apart from their energy content) as their main ingredients are water and sugar.

These soft drinks can be a valuable source of vitamin C, al-

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though it is unlikely that they will contain significant quantities unless the vitamin is added. Soft drinks do not contain fat or fibre but may contain nutritionally insignificant traces of protein.

The energy content of soft drinks varies greatly and is derived exclusively from the sweetening agents, which are principally sugars. Soft drinks sweetened with mixtures of sugar and intense sweeteners are less caloric than drinks sweetened entirely with sugar, and drinks labelled as being low-calorie are required to contribute a maximum of 22 kJ (5 kcal) per 100 ml.

Nutritional composition of soft drinks per 100 ml Conclusion: The consumption of soft drinks was found to have increased dramatically over the past several decades with the greatest increase among children and adolescents.

Excessive intake of soft drinks with high sugar and acid content both regular and diet could cause detrimental impacts on dental and general health including dental caries, dental erosion, overweight, obesity and increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

The sugar tax has raised the level of awareness. However, it is necessary to educate patients about the harmful effects of different types of soft drink as it is not always easy for individuals to know from drink labelling what they actually contain.

Efforts have been made by manufacturers and government agencies to reduce the potential harmful effects of sugar-containing soft drinks on teeth and general health.

These include banning the sale of soft drinks in schools, restricting soft drinks advertising, modifying the composition of soft drinks and introducing tax on sugar-containing soft drinks.

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Innovations in food and beverage packaging technology in India ally, food retailing is also transforming.

However, due to globalisation and free movement of products, food packaging requires longer shelf life, along with monitoring food safety and quality based upon international standards. The Government of India is putting all the efforts to spread and invest in science and technology in the Packaging Industry of India.

Mr. Abhishek Saareen, Executive Director, Trident F& B Consultants (P) Ltd

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owadays, packaging of a product is rightly considered to be a silent salesman. India’s food & beverage packaging industry is blooming & has gained prominence in recent years.

Notably, a major focus of the packaging industry has been the decisive shift towards innovation in order to produce safe, attractive, more informative, sustainable, and environmentally-friendly packaging solutions.

As the customer base is increasing glob-

The Packaging Industry needs to adapt to all the necessary innovations in terms of technology to fulfill the demand of consumers and meet global standards and the markets requirement.

The FSSAI was established with the goal of consolidating all pre-existing laws and food safety standards into a single regulatory body that would be science-based and encompass all of the stages of food processing including its packaging.

One of the goals of the FSSAI is to reduce (and gradually phase out) non-recyclable packaging, which is hazardous to the environment and consumers’ health. The plan is still in its very first stage, but will have a tremendous impact on the packag-

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ing industry and those who depend on it.

FSSAI’s focus on packaging is regarding the type of material used as the container.

There are strict guidelines about exactly what should not be used to pack food materials as there is concern about the migration of toxic substances from the materials itself or in its barricading properties. Successful international trade is not possible without efficient and tenable packaging.

Packaging has significant importance in the global trade of goods and especially in India, it is essential for the development of the economic growth and GDP. The industry in India is growing at a fast pace and has gained momentum in the e-commerce, processed food, and FMCG industries.

Packaging not only protects and maintains the quality of the product but also helps in boosting sales and brand image.

Challenges faced by the food & beverage packaging industry in India 1. Need for longer shelf life for packaged food & beverages 2. Ease of handling 3. Ever-growing need/R&D done for packaging materials selection keeping in mind the safety & health of the consum-

34

ers and the same should also be environment-friendly.

4. Ever-growing demands of consumers 5. Innovation in terms of design, communication & marketing 6. Government norms & regulations.

Following are the factors that are driving the demand for innovative and advanced packaging solutions in India 1. Changing lifestyle leading to increased demand for packaged/convenience food.

2. Government’s relaxation in food and beverage import norms.

3. Increasing competition in the market leading to more attractive packaging serving the purpose of brand differentiation.

4. Growing health awareness among consumers.

5. Shrinking family size leading to escalating demand for unit packaging.

6. Exposure to new and improved packaging methods abroad.

7. Rapid urbanization 8. Increasing modern retail outlets 9. Gradual up-gradation of rural India to urban lifestyle.

10. Increasing awareness among consumers about recycling & other environmental issues.

Innovation in Packaging Solutions The food and beverage packaging industry has come a long way from where it started (basic carton packaging done solely for the purposes of containment and transportation).

Apart from its more traditional use, packaging has taken up additional functional-

ity to address rising consumer demands for safety and prolonged shelf life.

While convenience and marketing are important functions of packaging, the industry now looks to packaging to address issues of protection, preservation, and communication. Packaging has become the most important medium of information from food processor to the consumer. Moreover it can easily be observed and monitored as a tracking tool for food safety regulators.

Innovative food packaging is the need of the hour, where information about the current state of the packaged food can be read, felt, seen, or smelt. Innovative food packaging is also done to ensure longer shelf life as new methods continue to emerge in efforts to delay the process of degeneration.

Not only do safe and sustainable methods of packaging solutions provide a reliable method of protection and prevention during various stages like transportation, storage, retail etc but they also ensure that environmental damage is limited.

Following are the recent trends that have brought innovation in the food & beverage packaging in India: • Nanotechnology: The use of nano materials is widely used in food & beverage packaging industry nowadays. Nanotechnology is being used in plastic food packaging that makes it stronger, lighter and performs better. The antimicrobials such as nanoparticles of silver or titanium dioxide are used in packaging to prevent spoilage of foods.

• Introduction of Tetrapaks: Over the last decade, packaging market in India has evolved with increasing emphasis on technological innovations including light weight, better barrier properties, and extended shelf life at a reduced cost.

Notable shifts in packaging media has also been witnessed with select packaging substrates such as glass and metal giving way to flexibles, liquid packaging cartons, plastics, etc. Introduction of liquid cartons (tetrapak) way back in late 1990s opened up several new markets and a range of products are now being packed in tetrapaks.

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• Robotic Technology: Few companies have made some strides by using robotic technology in this sector. The use of robotic technology is presently limited in India but will flourish in the coming years.

• Retort Packaging: Another Technology expected to experience various advancements in near future is Retort Packaging; in which the technological innovation may lead to complete market change in terms of economical and sustainable advantage. For the emerging economies like India and China, retort packaging will create a sturdy demand in the packaging market.

• PET packaging: Poly Ethylene Terephthalate (PET) packaging improve the brand image of the product and is also an economic solution which is well adapted in India.

• Aseptic Technology: One more upcoming technology in food & beverage packaging is Aseptic technology which is very suitable for India’s climate. This technology takes away the need for refrigerated storage of processed food in order to reduce wastage of perishables.

What future holds for us?

In the years ahead, automation and intelligence will be two critical components of the food system, especially in fast-urbanizing nations like India. Another major zone of innovation that is likely to open up over the next decade is that of smart packages.

Essentially, smart packaging leverages smart materials and programmable nanotechnology to enable a package to sense or measure various attributes of the product and then communicate that information to users by sending, for example, a signal to a smart phone.

There are already several local innovations taking this idea forward around the world.

In Taiwan, scientists have developed a 3D-printed smart cap with embedded sensors for milk cartons which are capable of detecting spoiled milk.

In the US, researchers have developed a low-cost, portable, paper-based label that can detect not only food spoilage but also food contamination.

35

Strengthen Immunity With Whey Proteins (Proteins from Milk)

Ms. Joanie Zhang, Technical Support Manager – Asia Agropur Ingredients, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA

T

he novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has put a spotlight on the importance of nutrition in supporting the immune system and general wellbeing.

Everyone is looking for a healthy, nutritious diet, and lifestyle to maintain a strong immune system. Among all valuable nutrients, whey proteins, the natural bioactive proteins from milk, provide significant amounts of essential amino acids to support muscle structure, body recovery, and immune function.

Dr. Anand Rao, VP of Ingredients Innovation, Agropur Ingredients, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA

cysteine and methionine for antioxidant activity. Whey proteins also contain individual proteins such as lactalbumin, lactoferrin, and immunoglobulins that have immune-enhancing bioactivity.

Optimize high-quality protein intake during acatabolic health condition A well-balanced diet, which includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, and high nutritional quality protein, can help increase your immune function. Some countries have issued nutrition guidelines for the general population and people recovering from viral infections.

Health officials have emphasized the importance of adequate intake of dietary proteins. People should consume complete, high-quality proteins (egg, dairy, and soy proteins) in their daily diet.

Role of whey protein Our immune system is made up of proteinsthat are synthesized from dietary amino acids. Adequate amino acids in our diet is essential in maintaining immune system cell structure. Whey protein is a well-known, complete protein source that provides all the essential amino acids our body needs, especially rich in sulfur-containing amino acids Graph: Benefits of Whey Proteins

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36 Inadequate protein intake can lead to weaker immune function, slower recovery from illness, and loss of lean body mass. The need for more dietary protein is in part because of a declining anabolic response to protein intake in a sick population.

More protein is also needed to offset inflammatory and catabolic conditions associated with chronic and acute diseases.

Nutrition research (list below) shows that higher dietary protein ingestion is beneficial to maintain body functionality and promote recovery in adults who are in catabolic conditions such as acute bedrest, malnutrition, physical inactivity, and viral infections.

The nutrition guidance for patients infected with Coronavirus (issued byChinaNutrition Society recommends patients to take150-200 grams total protein per day (around 1.5-2.0g /kg body weight/day).

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends protein from milk and dairy products, especially yogurt. The protein intake recommendation for those who need extra support either to recover or whose diets need constant supplementationis 1.2- 2.2g/kg/d.

Whey protein strengthens cell anti-oxidation Whey protein also has potent antioxidant activity because it is rich in sulfur-containing amino acids cysteine and methionine. With a high concentration of these amino acids, immune function is enhanced through intracellular conversion to glutathione (GSH).

Glutathione is centerpiece of the body antioxidant defense system that protects cells against free radical damage, pollution, toxins, and infection. Cellular glutathione levels decrease with age and illness.

In comparison to other protein sources, whey has the unique capacity to increase glutathione production that leads to improvements in health conditions.

According to a 2004 monograph “Whey Proteins and Immunity”published by the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC)– “whey proteins are unique in their ability to optimize a number of key aspects of immune function, although the exact mechanisms are not yet fully understood, whey proteins appear to modulate immune function by boosting glutathione

Figure: Schematic diagram of glutathione (GSH) synthesis following whey protein intake and the most important functions associat-

immunoglobulins include IgG, IgA, and IgM. When consumed in food, immunoglobulins bind bacteria, toxins, and other harmful molecules and carry them safely out of the body. The immunoglobulins in dairy products have been shown to provide disease protection for humans.

ed with this process

(GSH) production in various tissues and preserving the muscle glutamine reservoir.”

Bioactive components in whey protein Whey protein has demonstrable effect to promote body health by binding and inactivating bacterial toxins, inhibiting bacterial and viral adhesions, such as E. coli, and strongly promoting the growth of good bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium breve and Lactococcus lactis.The biological components of whey, including lactoferrin, beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin, glycomacropeptide, and immunoglobulins, demonstrate a range of immune-enhancing properties.

Alpha-Lactalbumin (α-lac) is the most prevalent whey protein in human milk and makes up 20-25 percent of bovine whey proteins. In an animal study, alpha-lactalbumin improved antibody response to infection. Additionally, it has a direct effect on B-lymphocyte function, as well as suppressing T cell-dependent and independent responses.

Glycomacropeptide (GMP/CMP) is a bioactive peptide derived from casein during the cheesemaking process. Research demonstrates that compared with casein or purified amino acid diets, GMP enhances immunomodulatory activities by inhibiting immune cell proliferation and lowering indexes of inflammation. GMP is also shown to exert prebiotic and antibacterial effects from in vitro and in vivo studies.

Immunoglobulins (Ig) are a group of protective bioactive antibodies, accounting for 10-15% in whey. Common dairy

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How to incorporate whey protein ingredients into consumers’ diets and products?

During the lockdown, more consumers are looking for high protein food products and drinks. Over the past few months, consumption ofmany convenient protein products, including ready to mix (RTM) protein supplements, ready-to-drink (RTD) protein beverages, and other protein-fortified snacks, has increased.

Protein nutrition bars meet the pressing consumer need for a healthy and convenient snack for those accustomed to eating out, for parents at home caring for their out-of-school kids, and for those on the front lines who are busier than ever, such as healthcare workers and delivery drivers.

• Whey protein concentrates and isolates:arethe most popular whey protein ingredients in the market, with protein content at 80% and 90% as is respectively.These ingredients contain a full balance of undenatured bioactive whey proteins including immunoglobulin (IgG), lactoferrin (Lf), and glycomacropeptide (GMP).

They deliver superior nutrition, are high in BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids), with leucine content at 10.3g/ 100g whey protein.The ingredients were de-

signed to be used in a variety of food and nutritional applications, including protein beverages and shakes, RTM supplements,

37 snack products.

During lockdown and quarantine, people are gravitating to comfort foods to fight anxiety and loneliness. Often, these “comfort” foods are high in fat, sugar, salt, and calories. protein fortified bakery products, and protein fortified snacks.

• Whey protein hydrolysates are enzyme-pre-digest whey protein ingredients for more rapid digestion and absorption.

BioZate® 8000 is a hydrolyzed whey protein concentrate (protein content at 80% as is) with low bitterness.

It is enzymatically hydrolyzed under controlled conditions to obtain a unique low-bitter peptide with improved nutritional properties. BioZate® 8000 is a spray-dried protein powder and designed for use in sports and nutrition supplements.

• Whey Protein Pods are a highly nutritional extruded form of whey proteins (total protein at 70%) with a clean dairy

FAO recommends to “Watch your intake of fats, sugar, and salt. Many people in times of high stress, use food as a comfort, which can lead to overconsumption.” Whey protein PODS provide opportunities to foodformulators to develop more healthy and fun products with high protein content, such as yogurt and ice cream toppings, breakfast cereals, etc.

During these unprecedented times, we encourage everyone to keep a well-balanced diet with protein, fruits, and vegetables, as well as exercise regularly and get adequate sleep.

Healthy immune system warriors require regular nourishment! Don’t forget to give your immune system a boost with whey proteins.

(This article is for information and education only. Nutritional whey protein can help boost immunity but do not prevent or cure Coronavirus. ）

flavor. They are manufactured using a proprietary blend of whey proteins to produce a tender, crisp texture for a variety of applications. The beauty of whey pods is that it amazingly brings fun, appealing,

and crunchy texture to protein bar and

References • FAO: Maintaining a healthy diet during the COVID-19 pandemic http://www.fao. org/3/ca8380en/CA8380EN.pdf • Wong CW, Dennis L. Watson. Immuno-modulatory effects of dietary whey proteins in mice. Journal of Dairy Research.

1995: 62 359-368 • Vijaylaxmi Grey, Shawn R. Mohammed, Argyrios A. Smountas, RashaBahlool, Larry C. Lands.

Improved glutathione status in young adult patients with cystic fibrosis supplemented with whey protein. Journal

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of Cystic Fibrosis. 2003: 195-198 • Ng, Tzi Bun, et al. “Antiviral activities of whey proteins.” Applied microbiology and biotechnology 99.17 (2015): 69977008.

• Sawin, Emily A., et al. “Glycomacropeptide is a prebiotic that reduces Desulfovibrio bacteria, increases cecal shortchain fatty acids, and is anti-inflammatory in mice.” American Journal of Physiolo-

gy-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology 309.7 (2015): G590-G601.

• Córdova-Dávalos, Laura Elena, Mariela Jiménez, and Eva Salinas. “Glycomacropeptide bioactivity and health: A review highlighting action mechanisms and signaling pathways.” Nutrients 11.3 (2019): 598.

• Hurley, Walter L., and Peter K. Theil.

“Perspectives on immunoglobulins in colostrum and milk.” Nutrients 3.4 (2011): 442-474.

• Layman, Donald K., Bo Lönnerdal, and John D. Fernstrom. “Applications for α-lactalbumin in human nutrition.” Nutrition reviews 76.6 (2018): 444-460.

• Bumrungpert, Akkarach, et al. “Whey protein supplementation improves nutritional status, glutathione levels, and immune function in cancer patients: a randomized, double-blind controlled trial.”

Journal of medicinal food 21.6 (2018): 612-616.

38

Probiotics and prebiotics: The dynamic sources of Bioactives

section, is colonized by bacteria from the environment. Feeding seems to modulate the colonization pattern.

Dr. Kavita R. Pandey, Dept. of Bioanalytical SciencesFYIC, G. N. Khalsa College, Matunga, Mumbai

The microflora of the adult human contributes 1013 microorganisms (the “microbiota”), majority of which are in the colon and distal small intestine. This microbiota in the GIT comprises of nearly 500 species and nearly 2 million genes (the “microbiome”).

Microbiota is metabolically active and allows synthesis and breakdown of numerous dietary compounds and thus the microbiota has earned its due significance in our diet . An optimal “balance” in the microbial population, in terms of good and bad microbes, is essential for the sustenance as well as maintenance of good health in humans.

1.0 The human gastrointestinal tract: The primary function of the human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) was earlier thought to be limited to digestion and absorption of nutrients and excretion of waste end products. However, clinical studies in the last 3 decades have proved that the GIT fulfills many other functions, which are essential for our well-being hence it has drawn a greater attention for newly demonstrated applications and effects.

Colonization of the gut with microflora begins in the infants during birth when the neonate is exposed to cervical and vaginal flora of the mother. On the contrary, the GIT of infants delivered by Caesarean

Such balance largely depends upon factors like age, lifestyle and most importantly the dietary regimen of an individual. Humans are exposed todifferent pressures of the modern existence, and in such situation, it’s a great challenge to maintain a healthy and balanced microbial population in the GIT. The busy lifestyle today, exposes humans to several stress factors like work pressure, fluctuating weather conditions, somatic diseases etc., and thus forces their dependence on treatments with antibiotics and immunosuppressive drugs.

Apparently, under such adverse conditions, the harmful bacteria may become predominant and create an imbalance-dysbiosis, which may in turn result in impaired normal gut functions. Consequently, problems like constipation, inefficient digestion, flatulence, diarrhea, intestinal bowel disorders etc. stem up.

Use of functional foods, is a logical approach to restore the balanced intestinal flora. Use of probiotics help to increase its colonization which in turn can positively influence the gastrointestinal immune system and composition of microbiota.

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One of the core areas of extensive research is the effect of LAB in gastrointestinal micro-ecology.

2.0 Functional foods: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”, the age old saying attributed to Hippocrates is certainly the mantra for today’s health conscious population. The use of microbes or microbial products, started centuries ago when people first witnessed the beneficial health effects imparted by consumption of fermented foods. Use of yogurt and fermented milk products are known to mankind since humans and animals started evolving.

The possibility that ingestion of some selected bacteria may beneficially influence the GIT of humans was proposed by Eli Metchnikoff, the Russian Nobel prize winner (1907).

He observed the susceptibilities of people to the harmful actions of microbes and their products. Subsequently his “Theory of Longevity” was associated with prolonged youth, and a healthy old age, witnessed by Balkan peasants, whose diet included cultured milk.

Since then, the quest for discovering how food can enhance health or prevent chronic diseases, has triggered the research to study a wide range of components in foods, besides nutrients. This growing quest as well as pursuit of nutritional aspects has led to a plethora of new labels for foods that have indicated distinct benefits and have been termed and recognized as functional foods . The concept of functional food considers food beyond the necessity for survival, as a source of mental and physical well-being, contributing to the prevention and reducing of risk factors for several diseases or enhancing certain physiological functions.

Functional foods provide the body with vitamins, fats, proteins, carbohydrates, etc., needed for the sustenance of healthy functions.

Functional foods contain significant levels of biologically active components like polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), essential oils, ß-glucans, etc. that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition.

Dairy products form the major part of functional foods. Some non-dairy functional food products include oats, barley etc. Probiotics and prebiotics come under the canopy of functional foods. In last 2-3 decades, research in the field of

39 functional foods especially probiotics has made significant developments. The most important ones emphasize on selection and characterization of particular probiotic cultures and substantiation of health claims relating to their consumption.

2.1 Definitions: 2.1.1 Probiotics Probiotics is a Greek word meaning “supporting life” or “favoring life” and is used to define living Fig 1: Eli Metchnikoff non-pathogenic (1845-1916) organisms and their derived beneficial effects on hosts.

Probiotics have been defined and redefined several times. Vergin (1954), was the first to define probiotics, to report his observations on evaluating effects of antibiotics and other microbial substances on the gut microbial population.The study concluded that probiotika (probiotics) was favorable to the gut microflora.

Lilly and Stillwell (1965), redefined probiotic as “A product produced by one microorganism stimulating the growth of another microorganism.”. Fuller (1992), further defined them as “Non-pathogenic microorganisms which when ingested, exert a positive influence on host’s health or physiology”. The most recent definition was put forward jointly by FAO/WHO (2014), ‘Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amount confer a health benefit on the host’ [31].

Examples of probiotic products in market include NesVita, Probiotic lassi, Probiotic dahi and ice cream, probiotic yogurts, probiotic chocolates, probiotic bakery products etc.

Although probiotics in the form of drugs are widely accepted, probiotic foods are still viewed with skepticism. Some of the popularly used probiotic microorganisms in food and medicines include L. acidophilus, L. johnsonii, L. gasseri, L. casei, L. paracasei, B. adolescentis, B. longum, B. coagulans, B. clausii, S. boulardii and other yeasts. More advanced and focused research efforts have led to emergence of new genera and probiotic strains. Bacterial spore formers, mostly of the genus Bacillus have recently gained popularity as probiotics because they are robust and able to better withstand the processing conditions of manufacturing [30,40-42].

B. coagulans GBI-30, 6086, marketed as GanedenBC30® is a novel Bacillus strain which is supplemented in several food products as probiotic and has been documented to have beneficial impact on both digestive system and immunity. Probiotic formulations BioPlus 2B® and Biosporin, containing B. subtilis and B. licheniformis are available in the market.

2.1.2 Prebiotics: Prebiotics are a group of diverse carbohydrate components that are poorly understood with respect to their origin, fermentation profiles and dosages required for claimed health effects. Prebiotics are mostly fibers that are non-digestible food ingredients and beneficially affect the host’s health by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of some specific genera of microorganisms in the colon, generally lactobacilli and bifidobacteria.

Prebiotics are essentially food for probiotics (and potentially for other intestinal bacteria too). The most commonly used prebiotics are carbohydrate substrates (like dietary fibers) with the ability to promote the components of the normal intestinal micro flora which may evince a health benefit to the host.

There are various foods which are enriched in prebiotic content. Examples include: Yacon (non-digestible carbohydrates), inulin sources (like chicory roots, Jerusalem artichoke, acacia gum, garlics etc.) breast milk, soybeans, and, raw oats, unrefined wheat, unrefined barley, and non-digestible oligosaccharides.

Nevertheless, the class of non-digestible oligosaccharides (mostly inulin and derivatives, XOS, GOS, FOS etc., which specifically favour growth of probiotic organisms, are ideal prebiotics .

Microbial species with applications as probiotics: 2.2 Characteristics of an ideal: 2.2.1 Probiotic: With the objective of developing a systematic methodology for evaluation of probiotics in foods and substantiating the health claims with benefits, FAO and WHO have jointly put forward guidelines.

These characteristics directly or indirectly help the strains to impart health benefits to the hosts 1. Non-pathogenicity: Probiotics should belong to the GRAS category (Generally recognized as safe) and should be nontoxic and nonpathogenic.

2. Species compatibility: Ideally probi-

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otic organisms intended for human consumption should be isolated from human intestine because those isolated from the different species are generally less effective.

3. High tolerance to bile and gastric acidity: Probiotics should be able to survive the passage through harsh conditions in stomach and reach the intestine in a viable state to be able to colonize effectively.

4. Adherence: Potential to adhere to the intestinal epithelium for better colonizing ability.

5. Short generation time: so that the culture can multiply fast and colonize the bowel rapidly 6. High survival rate: Should be able to survive the processing conditions like drying and show good survival in foods or powdered supplements so that the product has a reasonable shelf life.

7. Lactic acid production: Probiotics with ability to produce L (+) during fermentation are preferred since the D-(-) optical isomer of lactic acid has been associated with metabolic acidosis.

8. Anti-genotoxic properties: The ability to reduce mutations and carcinogenesis for example, by reducing the production of mutagenic substances by other organisms in the intestine.

9. High stability: At room temperature, separately or when mixed with other ingredients.

2.2.2 Prebiotic: Three prerequisites of an ideal prebiotic include the following features: 1. Resistant to the acids in the stomach, bile salts and other hydrolytic enzymes in the intestine 2. Should not be absorbed in the upper part of GIT. 3. Be easily fermentable by the beneficial intestinal microflora.

2.3 Health benefits imparted by probiotic, prebiotic and symbiotic consumption: for reference turn to pg.40 graph 1

2.4 The dynamic duo-Synbiotics: Gibson had spectulated the concept of prebiotic and probiotic combinations (which we today term as synbiotics).These are live cultures of bacteria combined with a prebiotic which enhance the colonization of the bowel by probiotic bacteria. The objective behind mixing a prebiotic and a probiotic is preventing / minimizingthe viability loss (of probiotics) and thus implantation of more number of live microbial supplements in the GIT.

40 The term ‘Synbiotics’is reserved only for products in which the prebiotic compound(s) are found to support probiotic organism(s) growth. Viability of probiotics is affected by several factors like pH, organic acids, oxygen, H2O2,, moisture stress etc. The probiotic strains used in synbiotic formulations include predominantly, Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria spp, also Bacillus species (B. coagulans) S. boulardii, some Enterococcusetc. Most commonly used prebiotics are oligosaccharides like inulin, FOS, XOS, GOS, etc. and chicory and yacon roots, etc., from natural sources.

Table 1: Established health effects of some probiotic strains (with representative references): Table 3: Synbiotics for better health (with representative references)

and prebiotics (synbiotics): Synbiotics a combination of dynamic duo probiotics and prebiotics seems to be quite attractive proposition for enhanced health functions in hosts. The objective of developing synbiotics was to overcome the viability loss due to harsh conditions the probitoics face during GIT transit (like acids in stomach and bile in small intestine), before they reach intestine for effective colonization..

As per reports, the Synbiotics are believed to exert following health benefits: 1. Balanced gut microbiota,

2. Improved liver function in cirrhotic patients, 3. Enhanced immunomodulatory effects 2.4.1 Some combinations of probiotics

Table 2: Some of the health benefits imparted by prebiotic consumption

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3.0 Conclusions: Probiotics, probiotics (and a combination of the dynamic duo) has several effects on the host’s health metabolism and immune functions. A pre-requisite for synbiotic selection has to be effective utilization of prebiotics by probiotics. Also, they should maintain a good synergy and maximize the beneficial effects. Deeper understanding of the mechanisms of action how probitoics and prebiotics affect our gut and overall health, will allow us to design enhanced functional foods for improved health. The ability or probiotics and prebiotics to alter the microflora can be used in developing lines of treatment for gastrointestinal disorders. Literature displays abundant research on the applications of probiotics in humans, but data on prebiotics and synbiotics is rather scanty. Furthermore, the health claims made needs to be authenticated and validated by designing large scale clinical trials. Plethora of genomic information coupled with deeper knowledge of microbiotic composition need to be collated to develop new basis of probiotic selection.

The differences in bacterial metabolism has to be kept in mind for developing new synbiotics.

41

Will Amul’s Milk Run Win India’s Consumption Marathon?

G

eneral trade or direct sales through Amul operated or franchised retail outlets account for almost 85%, with another 12%-13% sales coming from modern multi-brand retail outlets.

Last fortnight, Amul reported an annual revenue of more than 32K Cr ($5Bn), growing an incredible 20% at scale, and exploding during the lockdown.

Giving India Anand The year was 1949, and India had just begun an independent era.

But with the shackles released, India had to build a nation from ground up. The key area of providing food to everyone was an enormous challenge. A new nation needed to be fed.

At this time, the quality of milk available in Bombay was worse than sewage water in London, and this situation would gnaw at a young man. This young man, Dr. Verghese Kurien, was itching to complete his bond of service at the Government creamery at Anand to get his scholarship and move to the city of dreams, Bombay.

However, he was held back by a request from his friend, Tribhuvandas Patel. This request would begin to evolve into something bigger.

Dr. Kurien was asked to manage the Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers Union. Kaira was a jointly owned cooperative set up to protect small farmers from the exploitative business practices of Polson, a dairy company that had a milk monopoly in India. Patel and Kurien were

soon joined by H.M.Dalaya, and the three became the pillars of a unique cooperative movement.

The upstart was challenging a monopoly with a unique and different model.

While Patel brought together farmers to set up more cooperative societies, Dalaya used his technical expertise to run the cooperatives, and Dr. Kurien worked hard to create a cohesive brand for the cooperation.

In 1955, when Dr. Kurien was asked to select a brand name for the cooperation, he cleverly chose Amul because it was an acronym for the Anand Milk Union Ltd. It also drew from the Sanskrit word, amulya which means “priceless.”

In order to bring this dream to reality, The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) was established at Anand in 1964. Through the NDDB, Dr. Kurien would end up scripting the largest dairy development programme ever drawn in the world.

It would popularly be known as ‘Operation Flood’ or ‘White Revolution’, and the startup’s plan would end up going places.

Ravenously Hungry Dr. Kurien’s vision for the programme was simple.

Kurien wanted to offer thousands of small dairy farmer’s centralized marketing and quality control facilities. These were the missing links in the dairy economy at the time.

Little did he know that this would earn him the title of ‘Milkman of India’.The ‘White Revolution’ programme which kicked off in 1969-70, set up Amul as a ‘model’ which was replicated countrywide to spawn similar success. The model, which came to be known as the ‘Anand Pattern’, would operate at three levels. A dairy cooperative society at the Village level would be responsible for

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collecting milk, the District milk union to which the village dairy was affiliated procured and processed the milk, and the State milk federation markets the milk and milk products.

The programme established milk producer cooperatives in villages and made modern technology available to them.

The objectives of this programme were to increase milk production, augment rural incomes and cut out the middle-men. This allowed milk producers to benefit from the profits of milk marketing.

The importance of the program lay in its focus on small rural producers. Lucrative opportunities would not always be available in Indian villages which made dairy an attractive option for villagers. Due to its low capital requirement, short operating cycle and steady returns, the dairy industry rapidly grew in popularity among marginal and small farmers.

Within 30 years, it doubled the milk available per person in India and made dairy farming India’s largest self-sustainable rural employment generator. All this was achieved not merely by mass production, but by production by the masses.

Nearly 70MM Indian households had 98MM cows and buffaloes. A majority of milk producers had one or two milch animals and these small producers account for almost 70% of the milk production.

On average 22.5% of rural household income came from milk. This supply chain built from ground up would be complemented by a clever marketing machine.

India Gates, Mega Bytes Amul’s marketing juggernaut was gaining popularity in the early 90s.

With several iconic TV ads and growing popularity the brand was ready to scale.

Thanks to their tech wizard H. M. Dayla, Amul was able to convert excess buffalo milk into powder.

The 1990s saw a lot of diversification in the ads with respect to themes as the Amul Girl started to adore Bollywood like we do, with quirky ads based on movie posters.

She welcomed Bill Gates when he visited India, embraced controversy with the infamous Mr. Coffee ad featuring Arbaz Khan and Malaika. Amul was well on its way to become the taste of India, literally

42 and metaphorically.The marketing machine was churning away making Amul a part of Indian pop culture.

its. Ice creams and ghee would be innovations that would show high growth, becoming stars.

This marketing push combined with supply chain strength, helped Amul transform India from a milk-deficient nation into the world’s largest milk producer, surpassing the US in 1998. In just 10 years, milk supply increased from 17.5 litres to 52 litres per 1000 urban consumers.

But not all of Amul’s product innovation would be well received.

As the Indian economy grew and disposable incomes rose, Amul scaled with the economy.

India boomed and the urban population demanded more milk products. While the Indian population grew at around 2%, milk production grew at an astounding ~4% resulting in a net increase in availability of milk of around 2%.

By the late 90s, Amul was owned by 12MM farmer members grouped into over 1lakh village level dairy cooperative societies.

The societies were grouped in 170 district-level unions spanning 338 districts.

The unions made up 22 state-level federations that marketed the Amul brand.

But as consumer preferences changed, Amul had to innovate its product line.

Branded Love Bites Based on a survey’s findings, Amul entered into ice cream, curd, paneer, cheese, and condensed milk.

By the early 2000s, Amul had launched ‘Real Ice-cream,’ branded yoghurt, packaged milk, mozzarella cheese, coffee products, tapping into the growing and changing consumer demand.

It was evident that their great distribution would help any product launch.

With the state-level federations gradually expanding its distribution reach, Amul was able to expand its product offerings and capitalize on the opportunity by understanding evolving consumer preferences.

Over the first decade of the 2000s, Amul’s products would perform different functions in the cooperative’s machine.

The anchor products of milk, butter and cheese would become cash cows. These would drive the bulk of revenue and prof-

Products like Lassi and Masti Dahi would remain question marks, challenged by entrants such as Danone. The foray into chocolates and pizza cheese would be tough, challenged by more focused competition in those categories.

Dominating niches for upstarts is easier than a everybody’s behemoth, as Amul would realize. Towards the end of the decade Amul would begin to slow down, and the struggles would spill over into Amul’s boardroom.

India’s Milkman was becoming increasingly unpopular, having helmed the company for close to 50 years.

Yeh Taj Nahin Jhukega Amul was in a quagmire, and it was unlike anything it had seen.

From 2000 to 2005, India’s GDP growth would outstrip Amul’s, a rarity for the giant. As sales stagnated, frustration and resentment grew within the organization.

Amul was no longer a milk upstart, but a brand of national importance. Politics was played, with actual politicians jostling for a share of the pie, pointing out fingers everywhere.

In 2006, Kurien was the one to take the fall, eased out of his chairmanship.

Over the next few years, the chairmanship would move towards politicians such as ParthiBhatol, who would helm the cooperative for the latter part of the decade.

But the steadying hand actually executing would move to an Amul lifer, who had been with Amul since 1982.

Amul was the only company RS Sodhi had worked with for almost 30 years.

Being promoted to managing director in 2010, he would begin to start waking up the sleeping giant.

The changes would be across the supply chain to new launches, and were now fuelling Amul’s growth both domestically and globally.

In the dairy industry, one cannot grow only by putting up more plants as the raw

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material is not easily available. Amul’s strategy to achieve this goal has been of 3Es – Expansion in milk procurement, milk processing and marketing. Keeping this as core by FY 2014-15, Amul brand turnover grew from Rs 8,005 crore to Rs 20,733 crore in five years, an astounding cumulative average of growth rate (CAGR) of 21%.

Mr. Sodhi’s push would make Amul grow 2.5x in 5 years, the most in its entire history. A strong part of this push was doing something Amul had not prioritized before.

Imagining in India, selling to the world.

Becoming a Thorough bread Amul would target the millions non-resident Indians to fuel revenue growth.

In 2016 Amul partnered with Amazon to cater to the demand for ghee of the overseas audience. Given supply chain constraints, there are two types of products for export in Amul’s portfolio. The first is packaged consumer products – mainly for the Indian diaspora such as Amul Butter, Amul Cheese and Amul Ghee. The second are commodities like milk powder and white butter.

Export of commodities depends on international prices and in few cases it is not viable for milk products given the volatility in prices and incremental costs. To scale the global business, Amul began to set up production facilities outside India.

Exports began to grow rapidly to 250 crore in 2016. By 2017 Amul owned two small production bases in US to produce ghee, shrikhand, etc. and had plans to set up a production facility in Europe.

With this push, Amul was already outpacing other FMCG companies.

While most FMCG companies were showing single digit growth of 6-7%, Amul registered a 17.5% jump in FY 2017. In FY2010, turnover was around Rs.8,000 crore, which in FY2017 grew to Rs. 27,043 crore at a CAGR of 20%. This is no mean feat, as it would outstrip global brands like Unilever and P&G. The key factor driving its growth was the trusted brand it had built. For the consumers to trust the brand, the brand should never “cheat” its customers. For a farmer to believe in his customer, he should never feel “cheated”.

43 Stressing on this philosophy, Amul believed, “Marketing is not for business but for development of the most under-privileged society of India.”

Faith and trust is not an overnight job. It would come from decades of consistent messaging. Umbrella branding strategy has worked very well for Amul – all its products are under one single brand. And Amul has done well, sticking with the Butter Girl for the last fifty years, against the advice of several advertising agencies. It would stick to one, Da’Cunha.

This kind of consistency results in powerful customer acquisition economics. Amul’s marketing spend would remain below 3% of its annual turnover all through 2018. For any business of this scale, this ratio sounds “utterly, butterfly, delicious”.

New age D2C brands have 20-30% of their revenues as their ad-spend budget, which can learn a lot from Amul’s marketing efficiency.

Another powerful tool that works against a strong brand recall is customer segmentation. Amul does not believe in segmentation, throwing most marketing learnt in B-Schools out of the window.

Amul butter is consumed by millionaires living in big cities as well as by auto rickshaw drivers living in small towns, there is one uniform perception of the brand.

Amul has exhibited dynamism by experimenting with new forms and ways of storytelling. For instance, Amul dabbled with coloured print ads in the seventies and made a film titled ‘Manthan’ to educate the people about its brand. Amul’s continuous innovation would allow it to build a unique business that chased profits, purpose and passion, all at once.

Yeh Roasti Hum Nahin Todenge Amul’s organizational structure as a cooperative is deliberate and allows building the right incentives. It seems like a curiosity that Amul isn’t a public company, but its structure as a “loosely” private company allows it to take care of everyone in the ecosystem. Through its nation-wide connected network of 18,700 village milk co-operative societies, Amul procures 23 MM litres of milk per day from 3.6MM milk producer members, representing 18 member unions covering 33 districts. It operates from 62 sales offices and has a network of 10K dealers and 1MM retailers, one of the largest such networks in

India. If any investor looked at the P&L of Amul, they would be astonished to see a COGS of 95%. But the unnaturally high ratio of 95% of sales, with this ratio remaining steady over the previous five years. This indicates that as a cooperative, Amul’s primary motivation had been to plough earnings from the sale of milk products, back to the milk producers, thus promoting a virtuous cycle of sell-profit-reinvest.

This model excludes intermediaries in the form of middle-men from the picture – the co-operative collects the milk directly from the farmer’s gate.

The co-operative helps the farmers to get remunerative price as well as a continuous market for the milk. In addition, the cooperatives also have a share in the company’s profit at the end of the year.

The end price of Amul products are decided by Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF). Competing against multinationals with deep advertising pockets, Amul’s penchant for quality at affordable prices had made it stay relevant even after 70 years.

Milk being a perishable commodity it is necessary to preserve it properly. To maintain its quality, the society maintains a Bulk Milk Cooling system which preserves the milk below 40°C. This also reduces the expenses of the transportation as the society which has this unit the van goes only once a day to collect the milk.

Further to prevent the sourage of the milk the union has its own chilling centers which help in preserving the milk procured from the far off societies.

For Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers Union (one of the 18 unions supplying milk to Amul), analysis shows that inward freight (transportation of milk collected from individual milk producers) charges for FY19 had been 1.5% of its revenues, while outward freight (distribution of milk ahead) accounts for 0.5%.

Since Amul is a collection of 18 such unions spanning the nation, this 2% serves as a good proxy for the overall distribution costs incurred by Amul to keep its enormous supply chain running.

For FY20, with an estimated annual revenue run-rate of INR 50K Cr, even at a conservative marketing spend of 3%, Amul would spend INR 1500 Cr. Assum-

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ing half of India’s population is an Amul customer (a conservative 40% market share), and a family size of 4, there would be 12.5Cr Indian households who buy Amul products yearly.

Assuming a purchase is done every other day, that gives a daily AOV of ~INR 30 (50K crore revenue/ (12.5 crore households*150 days in a year). This is roughly the price of a 0.5 Ltr pouch of milk or a regular cone ice cream. For a lifetime of 20 years, lifetime value (LTV) of that household is ~INR 90K or INR 30 daily * 150 days of purchase a year * 20 years.

Assuming a 5% annual churn rate, and that the entire marketing spend is aimed at acquiring new customers, CAC for Amul would be INR 2.4K for a household. This results in an astonishing LTV/ CAC of 35, close to the ratio of revenue to marketing for the behemoth. It would be well positioned for the end of the decade.

Building an Untied Kingdom Much before farm-to-fork became mainstream, Amul was ideating and executing a C2C (Cow to Consumer) and B2C (Buffalo to Consumer) supply chain. A key growth strategy for Amul continues to been product expansion. The massive distribution it has allows it to do so. Amul considers the inherent strength of its existing portfolio and the synergies which can be derived through diversifying into adjacencies.

In FY19, it launched value-added products such as flavored milk, camel milk, fruit based Amul Tru (combo of milk and fruit) and new range of kulfis. It also launched Happy Treats brand with products such as French fries, alootikki and Hash Brown Expansion in markets and beefing up milk capacities across India have been other key growth drivers. Be it a hail or storm, Amul has withstood the test of time always. In 2019, while most sectors (automobile, consumer goods) witnessed a consumption slowdown, Amul stayed unaffected with its MD RS Sodhi remarking that ‘nobody has reduced consumption’.

Amul’s turnover in FY20 grew 15% to reach Rs. 38,550cr ($5.1B) and continued its upward growth trajectory. Despite turbo-charged growth, profitability had never nosedived. Profit after tax margins have been steady at 0.2% for the last 8 years.

44 Sustained hockey stick growth Amul has helped other cooperatives through sharing its expertise and technical knowledge and helped shape the overall ecosystem. ‘Cooperation’ rather than ‘competition’ has been the spirit with Amul recognizing itself as an elder brother to help out other regional dairies.

from farmers increased 15%. Contrast it against the fact that most vegetable and fruit producers nationwide had to dump their produce with pittance as prices were paid for their blood and sweat.

In Mar 2020, three milk unions Banas Dairy, AmulFed Dairy and Amul Dairy became billion-dollar entities, the true unicorns we need to celebrate. Amid the fear and panic imposed from the complete lockdown, one of the first things AMUL did was to assure its consumers that milk supplies will remain normal.

One might have thought that the closure of restaurants, hotels, and cafeterias (HoReCa) during the lockdown will adversely affect revenues. But contrary to expectations, the rise in household consumption has put any fear of slowdown in sales to rest. ‘Never let a good crisis go to waste’ is a popular phrase and Amul has truly exemplified it. Sensing changed consumption patterns and growth trends; it has quickly re-assessed its product launch pipeline.

In the first four months of FY21, it has launched an astounding 33 new products, the highest in a quarter. When the foundation is rock solid, not even a hurricane cannot disrupt a house. The deep rooted distribution network has stayed resilient during the lockdown. To ensure that there was no supply disruption, it paid casual workers Rs. 100-125 extra and gave distributors an extra 35 paisa incentive per liter of milk. It also made food and stay arrangements for workers inside dairy plants to avoid any labor shortages. Fear was assuaged by providing warm drinking water and Ayurvedic medicines to its workers.

Buddy Buddy Batein The one thing which unites India is their love for food, and Amul aims to capitalize on it. MD R.S. Sodhi expects a 1516% revenue growth in FY21 at a time when other businesses have struggled to stay afloat much less deliver any topline growth. Amul with its fantastic brand loyalty, deeply entrenched supply chain and distribution network and category, region diversification has remained at the front and center to win big.

While the company has reaped its magic in the dairy industry, it has a compelling opportunity to continue to expand in adjacent food categories. It plans to expand its presence in packaged sweets beyond Gulab Jamun and Rasmalai. It also entered the branded edible oils segment earlier this month with its launch of ‘Janmay’ (newly born) brand with five variants. Exports are also looked at as the next growth frontier.

Amid all this, it has remained laser focused to ensure its main stakeholdersfarmer members of dairy cooperatives were protected and paid around 80% of the consumer rupee. And in all this, it has managed to pay out Rs. 12K crore ($1.6B) in cash to dairy farmers who supplied raw milk.

Amul has also taken advantage of the fact that consumers switched to paying premium for safety which has increased demand for pouched milks. Moreover as unorganized players and smaller cooperatives froze, Amul’s milk procurement

sales executives and distributors could eventually be expanded for hyperlocal deliveries.It recognizes the future problems which the dairy industry might face and is proactively working to counter its effect. The second generation farmers do not find dairy farming sexy enough and no educated girl wants to marry a dairy farmer with 20-30 animals quips R.S. Sodhi.

Amul is working to make dairy appealing, modern and contemporary by providing machines, attractive sheds, and computerized machines to prompt a change in mindset.

For it to replicate its playbook in other industries, it will require trained professionals. This will need setting up of dedicated institutes such as IRMA which was envisioned by Kurien four decades back.

A bigger tectonic shift can unfold if it can replicate its cooperative model in dairy to fix the fruit and vegetable supply chain in India. Amul is a remarkable story on how the basic philosophy of a true cooperative built on steely determination and flawless execution can revolutionize an entire sector. It is a lesson in creative farmer cooperative leadership model in the global food system.

As it enters 2020, it is now neck to neck with Hindustan Unilever’s 38K crore revenue, and looks set to beat HUL in the next 3-5 years. It is a legendary story to learn from for India’s budding consumer startups. If anyone is looking for an example of an ‘Atmanirbhar’ brand from India, look no further than Amul.

As Amul enters the new decade, it could be definitive for India’s consumption story.

Audio Version: Behind the Scenes with AJVC As usual, we have done a behind the scenes format. This was done with Abhinay, Chetan, Mazin, Raj, Keshav, and Aviral.

Amul wants to go deeper and battle it out with regional brands available in friendly neighborhood stories. Its Locate Amul app which is currently used by internal

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Source : www. ajuniorvc.com/amul-story-milk-cooperative-revolution-kurien-fmcg-startup/

45

MILK : The Masked Hero of COVID – 19 cure coronavirus are unfounded and potentially dangerous.

The basis of these claims seems to be based on two immune-supporting components found in milk: lactoferrin and vitamin D. Lactoferrin is a protein found in most secretions from mammals which is especially high in milk.

Mr. Aditya Anand Jha

Ms. Kajal Kumari

Phulo Jhano Murmu College of Dairy Technology; Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi, Jharkhand

I

ntroduction These are not normal times. The simple things we’ve been doing all our lives, we can’t do anymore. We can’t hug our friends, shake hands or enjoy each other’s company because of a silent enemy called COVID-19. This virus has changed how we live and think around the world.

At times of crisis people turn to things they really need and rely on every day.

The everyday essentials. As more and more people are spending time at home due to the very necessary state sanctioned lockdowns or self-imposed social isolation in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19, it is not surprising that the

very basic need for food is a top priority in many people’s minds.

Billions of people around the world rely on “milk” for their day to day nutritional requirements and it’s not hard to understand why; considering “milk and milk products” are nutrient dense foods, supplying significant amounts of energy, protein and micronutrients, including calcium, magnesium, selenium, riboflavin, and vitamins B5 and B12.

How Milk helps in developing the immunity to fight COVID -19 While milk can be a part of a healthy varied diet, the claims that it can prevent, or

This protein has some antimicrobial properties and research suggests that the transfer of lactoferrin from mother to baby via breastmilk might provide some immune support to the infant’s still developing immune system.

While concentrated lactoferrin is promoted as a dietary supplement in foods such as infant formulas, there is no evidence to suggest that the lactoferrin found in cow’s milk imparts any specific immune benefits to humans who drink it.

The second component of milk that is being suggested as beneficial is vitamin D. In the United States, milk is fortified with vitamin D, a fat-soluble vitamin associated with many functions in the body including growth and immune response.

The claim that the vitamin D in milk somehow protects against coronavirus appears to be based on a meta-analysis published in 2017 in the British Medical Journal which found that vitamin D supplementation decreased the risk of acute respiratory infection.

It’s important to note that this study investigated vitamin D supplementation at much higher doses than what is found in milk products. It also did not include COVID-19 in its definition of acute respiratory infection.

In both cases, the suggestion seems to be that by consuming milk you are providing your body with specific immunity from the virus.

Recent Advancements in Dairy Industry

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46

Recently, many giants of the dairy industry (including Amul, Mother Dairy and many others) have come forward converting such treacherous times into a perfect opportunity to launch their immunity boosting products such as “ Haldi Doodh {Haldi Latte}, Tulsi Doodh {Tulsi Latte}, Ginger Doodh {Ginger Latte} with Ashwagandha Milk and Honey Milk still in milk and can be launched any soon.

The Soul purpose of launching such products are not only in terms of incentives received by the sales of the products but is also a step towards the benefit of mankind as these products contains such ingredients which are mentioned in our “Holy Vedas” for their therapeutic benefits, which hence develops ‘Zero’ hesitation in people in using such products. Once these superfoods i.e., “Turmeric, Holy basil, Ginger, Ashwagandha and Honey” are mixes with the goodness of milk their overall health value increases manifold.

Not only milk but its products especially “fermented” are also contributing on a large and daily basis in developing the much- required immunity to fight against the “SARS- CoV2” which has made us home locked. Products such as “Sour Cream”, “Probiotic Dahi”, “Shrikhand” and many more on experimentation have proved that the immunological properties of milk products comes principally from studies on fermented milk products.

These studies indicate that both conventional and probiotic fermented milk

products such as yogurt may strengthen the immune system.

The development and maintenance of the immune system depend largely on healthy gut microbiota.

As fermented and probiotic milk products are a source of beneficial live microorganisms that can improve gut microbiota, a number of studies have investigated the role of these products in immune regulation. To date, the available evidence suggests that fermented milk products may enhance immune functions.

Role of Fermented Milk Products in developing the Immunity

Fermented milk products contain large quantities of beneficial bacteria such as lactic acid bacteria, which may enhance both innate and adaptive im-

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munity. Milk and milk products contain bioactive peptides that have been shown to increase the activity of immune system cells.

Evidence suggests that these peptides assist in the proliferation of lymphocytes, the functioning of natural killer cells, the synthesis of antibodies and the production of cytokines. It has been demonstrat-

ed that both conventional and probiotic yogurt may stimulate cytokine production and promote higher alertness of the immune system.

Further research from randomized controlled trials is needed to determine whether conventional and probiotic fermented milk products have different effects. Additional studies are also needed to investigate the potential benefits of different types of milk products.

CONCLUSION : While milk may not impart specific immune benefits to ward off coronavirus, it can be part of a healthy diet that will optimize your health and your body’s readiness to fight off infections of any kind as prevention is always better then cure and let’s hope such vicious pandemic ends as soon as possible.

47

Atmospheric Cold Plasma (ACP): Applications in dairy industry

Dr. Uday S. Annapure, Professor & Head, Department of Food Engineering & Technology Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai

N

on thermal food processing sector is an emerging sector having varied applications in almost every vertical and matrix present in food industry. Numerous food processing sectors such as beverages, meat products, fresh produce, sea foods, spices etc. have started to successfully utilize and incorporate non thermal processing techniques.

These techniques have an upper hand on comparison with thermal processing techniques. Major drawbacks of thermal processing techniques includeundesirable changes in organoleptic properties, nutrient depletion, high capital cost and altered quality attributes.

These factors further contribute to external fortification of food products leading to significant increase in cost of finished product. Therefore it is necessary to develop non thermal food processing technologies as a viable alternative.

Numerous non thermal processing that are applied in food industries are: atmospheric cold plasma, heating (ohmic, microwave, radio-frequency and infra-red), high pressure processing, pulsed light technology, pulsed electric field and irradiation. Here this article would emphasize on atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) technique and its applications.

Atmospheric Cold Plasma Cold plasma is a fourth state of matter which can be simply defined as short lived reactive species generated by application of electricity to gas. In complex terms it is a gaseous phase possessing electrically energized matter comprising of charged particles, free radicals and some radiation. Since the reactive species are generated at atmospheric conditions and temperature hence it is termed as “Atmospheric Cold Plasma”.

In ACP, reactive species can be generated by multiple techniques such as dielectric barrier discharge, radio frequency discharges corona discharge, gliding arch and plasma jets. These techniques are subjective to their applications and end use. The nature of plasma is governed by many factors i.e. process parameters, gas composition, reactor configuration and power supply. Generation of reactive species is depended on different gases such as argon, helium, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen and its mixtures along with air.

Types of ACP reactors 1. DBD reactors: A dielectric barrier discharge operates between two electrodes which are covered with dielectric layers which stops the current thereby inhibiting the generation of sparks. DBD generally operates at frequencies between 0.05 and 500 kHz. The gas pressure in DBD ranges from 104–106 Pa and further it can be varied to some extent.

The gap between two electrodes varies from 0.1 mm to several centimeters. It is a dynamic system which can operate with wide varieties of gases and gives a homogenous discharge. The discharge can be generated in absence of gas flow as well. It is the most robust plasma generating reactor accounting to its adaptability to different shapes and sizes.

2. Plasma jets: Plasma jets devices consist of two coaxial electrodes between which the carrier gas flows at different feed rates. Plasma jets or flames are typically generated using radio frequency.

The excited species escape with the help of carrier gas through a small nozzle or and opening towards the end of the elecType of cold plasma treatment Dielectric barrier discharge at 250 W, 15 kHz and ambient air was applied to milk samples for periods of 5 and 10 min.

DBD plasma at 3.5 kV and a bipolar 50 kHz (low frequency range) square wave with a 50% duty cycle. Helium & He/O2 gas mixture was used during 1, 5, 10, and 15 min.

Lee et al. (2012) DBD plasma at (100 & 250 W, 15 kHz) treatment for time duration of 0, 2.5, 5 and 10 min.

Yong et al.(2015)

3. Corona discharge: These are weak discharges which are observed at atmospheric pressures near the electrodes.

Geometries of electrode used are pointed, edged or thin wires. These arrangements can work indirect current or pulsed voltage mode, and the sharp electrode can havea positive or negative potential. Most of the ionization is generated around the electrodes thereby causing non-uniform treatment. The main limitation of corona discharge is that it works over a small area.

4. Microwave discharge: As the name suggests, these reactors are microwave driven without electrodes using a magnetron. The plasma generated is then guided to the process area or chamber by a coaxial cable or a wave guide in presence of process gas. These types of system are electrode less and easy to handle. An array of such discharges is used for treatment of large areas.

The beauty of cold plasma is that it works on moderate operating temperatures which has led to opening of avenues for sterilization, disinfection, surface treatment and modification of heat sensitive materials. Plasma processing of food materials helps in maintaining desired quality attributes, nutritional properties, textures along with microbial decontamination.

Atmospheric cold plasma is being explored for various applications in food industries namely product decontamination, quality enhancement, toxin degradation, inactivation of spoilage enzymes, shelf-life extension and product modifica-

Dairy product Microbial species

Results

Milk

1. L. monocytogenes (KCTC 3569) 2. Escherichia coli (KCTC 1682) 3. Salmonella typhimurium (KCTC 1925)

No viable cells were detected in the milk samples after plasma treatments.Exposure of 10 min resulted in a reduction of bacterial counts by approximately 2.40 log CFU/mL

UHT & Raw milk

Escherichia coli ATCC 25922

A reduction of 54% in the population of E. coli cells after 3 min of treatment was observed. No viable cells were detected after one-week storage inmilk samples and it remained so over the 6-week storage period.

Cheese

1. Escherichia coli KCTC 1682 2. Staphylococcus aureus KCTC 11764

A significant reduction was observed in E. coli ranging from 0.09 to 1.47 log and 0.05 to 1.98 log with helium and with He/O2 mixture respectively.

The count of S. aureus decreased ranging from 0.05 to 0.45 log and 0.08 to 0.91 log with helium and with He/O2 mixture respectively.

Cheddar Cheese

1.Escherichia coli O157:H7 (ATCC 43894), 2.Escherichia coli (KCTC 1682) 3.Salmonella typhimurium (KCTC 1925), and 4.Listeria monocytogenes (KCTC 3569)

Kim et al.(2015) Corona discharge system powered by 9 kV AC power supply. Current flow of 90 mA was directed to flow into the corona system at 35°C at time intervals of 0, 3, 6, 9, 12,15 and 20 min.

Gurol et al. (2012)

trode. Plasma jets have an advantage of direct applicability and can be used between narrow regions. Economic constraints are observed in plasma jets due to high gas flow rates (> 10 slm).

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After plasma treatment, the populations of E. coli O157:H7, E. coli (KCTC 1682) S.typhimurium, and L. monocytogenes on cheese slice (approximately 5 Log CFU/g) decreased by 1.75, 3.2 1.97, and 1.65 LogCFU/g, respectively after treatment.

48 Type of cold plasma treatment Corona discharge system powered by 9 kV AC power supply. Current flow of 90 mA was directed to flow into the corona system at 35°C at time intervals of 0, 3, 6, 9, 12,15 and 20 min.

Gurol et al. (2012) Dielectric barrier discharge at 250 W, 15 kHz and ambient air was applied to milk samples for periods of 5 and 10 min.

Kim et al.(2015)

Dielectric barrier discharge at 40, 50 and 60 kV, from 15 s to 5 min to evaluate its effect on activity and structure of ALP. Segat et al. (2016)

UHT and raw milk

Corona discharge system powered by 9 kV AC power supply. Current flow of 90 mA was directed to flow into the corona system at 35°C at time intervals of 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 20 min.

Korachi et al. (2015) Dielectric barrier discharge at (70 kV, ambient air) applied from 1 to 60 min.

Segat et al. (2015)

Dielectric barrier discharge performed at variable voltage(60–80 kV) and treatment duration (3–30 min) Saragapani et al.(2017)

pH and color parameters

pH, color, fatty acid composition and lipid peroxidation

Milk

Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) (milk enzyme)

DBD plasma at 3.5 kV and a bipolar 50 kHz (low frequency range) square wave with a 50% duty cycle. Helium & He/O2 gas mixture was used during 1, 5, 10, and 15 min.

Lee et al. (2012) DBD plasma at (100 & 250 W,15 kHz) treatment for time duration of 0, 2.5, 5 and 10 min.

Yong et al.(2015)

Physicochemical/ sensory attributes

Dairy product

Cheese

pH, temperature, CD spectroscopy, ALP inactivation kinetics.

Results No significant changes in pH and color of raw milk samples was observed. A slight change in comparison with untreated milk was observed after 20 min of treatment.

The pH of milk decreased after the 10-min plasma treatment. Color L* and b* values of milk increased, and a* value decreased after treatment.

Production of 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive species increased slightly, but not significantly, after treatment.

These results indicated that treatment for less than 10 min resulted in slight changes in physicochemical quality of milk.

The enzyme was inactivated within few seconds after treatment. Enzyme showed a predominance of α- helix structure. Helical content showed a tendency to decrease with an increase in treatment time and voltage.

The maximum temperature for most intense treatments was only 30°C and no change in pH was noticed. The results indicate that DBD plasma treatment was effective in inactivating the ALP enzyme.

Physicochemical & sensory evaluation

Cheddar Cheese

Whey protein

Unhealthy and substandard sanitary conditions during milk collection and transport often lead to contamination of milk. The microbes and their toxins can cause infectious disease to the consumer.

The treatment decreased the L*-value and increased the b*-value.

Color (L*, a* and b*) & sensory Cheese slices appeared to be damaged after 10 and 15 min of plasma acceptance treatment.

Prominent reductions in sensory quality including flavor, odor, and acceptability was observed.

Milk

It is often observed that pathogenic micro-organisms gain entry in milk by various sources.

The pH and L* values decreased.Thiobarbituric acid reactivesubstances and b* values increased significantly with a higher exposure.

No significant differences were observed for total color difference (ΔE), sensory appearance, and color scores of treated and untreated cheese.

Significant reductions in flavor and overall acceptance and increase in off-odor was observed.

Significant increase in concentrations of 1 octanol, 2 heptanone, 2hexenBiochemical changes to the protein,free al, 2 octenal, nonanal and benzaldehyde levels was observed.

Treatment did not result in changes of lipid composition, total ketone fatty acids and volatilesprofiles or alcohol levels.

Exposure to cold plasma increased the total aldehyde content after 20 min of treatment.

Increase in b*and decrease in pH value was observed.

Biochemical changes to the protein,free Protein oxidation occurred for 15 min. fatty acids and volatilesprofiles A certain degree of unfolding of protein structure was confirmed by(HPLC) profiles and (DLS), which improved foaming and emulsifying capacity.

The changes were pronounced for 30 and 60 min of treatment.

Dairy fat

tion. Further we would restrict our focus on applications of cold plasma in dairy industry.

Applications of cold plasma in dairy industry Milk is considered to be a complete food system. Basic components of milk are fats, proteins, sugars, vitamins, minerals and water. Milk therefore has a good nutrient value and is consumed worldwide by different populations Owing to its high nutrient and water content, milk is considered to be a highly perishable food.

Milk and other milk products have to be refrigerated and stored in appropriate conditions to improve their shelf-life. Micro-organisms can easily thrive in milk due to high aw& high nutrient content.

This possess a great challenge to dairy industries since contamination could occur right from collection point of raw milk to processing, packaging and storage. Dairy industries use thermal treatment for milk preservation. Thermal treatments include

FTIR, 1 H NMR and chromatographic techniques

The formation of secondary oxidation products was observed in extended plasma treatment times of 30 min.

Increase in ozonide band and formation of aldehydes was due to the formation of hydroperoxides and were dependent on treatment time and applied voltage.

1H NMR analysis identified the formation of several lipid oxidation products, including aldehydes, such as hexanal or pentanal, mixturesof trans-2-heptenal, -octenal or -nonenal and 4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal.

For the first time the formation of hydroperoxides of oleic acid (9- hydroperoxy-trans-10-,11 hydroperoxy-cis-9-,10hydroperoxytrans-8-, 8 hydroperoxy-cis-9-octadecenoates) and linoleic acid (as 9-and 13-hydroperoxy-octadecadienoylglycerol species) was observed.

Fatty acid composition analysis identified a reduction in oleic, palmitoleic and linoleic acids along with formation of the oxidation products 2-nonenal, azelaic acid, 9-oxononanoic acid, nonanoic acid and octanoic acid.

batch heating, pasteurization, short time heating, low temperature-high time, high temperature-short time, ultra-high temperature heating etc. All these technologies are used in every segments of dairy industries.

Although these techniques have effectively helped in extension of shelf life and product safety, but it is achieved at a cost.

The most significant detrimental attributes are changes in organoleptic properties, burnt or cooked flavor, nutrient depletion, high operating cost etc.

The ill-effects of thermal treatment can be reduced by application of non-thermal techniques. ACP is an emerging technology which is being developed for treatment of milk and milk products. These technology can be scaled-up with minimum constraints and therefore can increase efficiency of dairy industries.

Preservation of Milk & milk products

by Cold Plasma

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Most observed cases of milk contamination are salmonellosis, brucellosis, yersiniosis, listeriosis, campylobacteriosis, staphylococcal enterotoxin poisoning, Escherichia coli 0157: H7 and streptococcal infections.

Many researchers have investigated the efficacy of cold plasma in decontamination of various dairy products.

Studies on raw milk, cheese, UHT milk etc. have been carried out to understand the efficacy of microbial inactivation

by ACP.

The results have showed significant reduction in microbial population and extension of shelf life.

ACP system has been applied to liquid, solid and semi-solid milk products, proving its robustness in industrial applications.

The antimicrobial effects are prominently due to interaction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species, which leads to strong oxidative effects on double bonds in the lipid bilayer of the microbial cell, thereby damaging the transport of macro and micro molecules inside and outside the cell.

There active species are considered the most important agents in pathogen inactivation. In dairy products, the antimicrobial efficiency of cold plasma technology depends factors likethe species of the microorganism, treatmenttime, gas composition, input powerand product composition.

The following table enlists the studies and their significant impact in decontamination and preservation of dairy products.

49

Fairlife moves into ice cream

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S dairy firm fairlife, LLC, which launched ultra-filtered milk in 2015, has partnered with Boardwalk Frozen Treats, LLC, to enter the ice cream category. It is the Coca-Cola Company owned firm’s first venture away from beverage-related products and into frozen desserts.

price of $4.98 per 14-ounce container in select grocery chain stores. Following the launch, the companies will expand distribution to include more grocery, retail, and convenience stores nationwide.

fairlife Light Ice Cream is lactose free and is available in seven flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, Cookies & Cream, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Double Fudge Brownie, Java Chip and Mint Chip.

“It’s an honor to work with Boardwalk Frozen Treats, a company with extensive experience in the sales, marketing, and distribution of national ice cream brands.

Our partnership with them allows us the opportunity to explore the world of frozen desserts,” said Tim Doelman, CEO at fairlife, LLC.

Depending on the flavor, it has eight or nine grams of protein. fairlife Light Ice Cream has no artificial preservatives or colors, and the milk used comes from cows raised without artificial growth hormones. The new ultra-filtered light ice cream will be sold at a suggested retail

“Our light ice cream has either a third the calories, or half the fat, of traditional ice cream, or in some cases both. We hope to change the perception that frozen treats with improved nutritional profiles don’t taste as good as traditional ice cream, especially for the 76% of consumers who

make an effort to eat healthy.” David Owens, CEO of Boardwalk Forzen Treats, said, “Consumers see ice cream as an indulgent treat. Many are intrigued and excited by frozen dessert options with less sugar but are skeptical that they can also taste good.

“However, fairlife is a pioneer in the dairy industry. They have consistently introduced a variety of innovative milk-based products that have nutritional attributes consumers are seeking AND taste great.

Our team was eager to work with fairlife because we knew the new line of light ice creams would be no different.

We are proud to be aligned with fairlife as they make this leap into the world of ice cream, a major milestone for their company.”

Coronavirus: no evidence that food is a source or transmission route

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FSA is closely monitoring the situation regarding the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that is affecting a large number of countries across the globe.

while animals in China were the likely source of the initial infection, the virus is spreading from person to person – mainly via respiratory droplets that people sneeze, cough, or exhale.

There is currently no evidence that food is a likely source or route of transmission of the virus.

More information on coronavirus and food can be found in this FAQ by the BfR, Germany’s risk assessment body. Scientists and authorities across the world are monitoring the spread of the virus and there have not been any reports of transmission through food.

EFSA’s chief scientist, Marta Hugas, said: “Experiences from previous outbreaks of related coronaviruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), show that transmission through food consumption did not occur. At the moment, there is no evidence to suggest that coronavirus is any different in this respect.”

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has said that

For this reason, EFSA is not currently involved in the response to the COVID-19 outbreaks. However, we are monitoring the scientific literature for new and relevant information.

Regarding food safety, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued precautionary recommendations including advice on following good hygiene practices during food handling and preparation, such as washing hands, cooking meat thoroughly and avoiding potential cross-contamination between cooked and

Dairy Times

uncooked foods. Reducing the chances of contagion – measures in place at EFSA’s headquarters.

EFSA is based in Parma, in the north of Italy, which is one of the areas currently subject to emergency restrictions on movement imposed by the Italian government.

As of the last week in February, we have adopted a series of measures in line with advice from the Italian authorities.

We have introduced homeworking for most of our staff and telemeetings with experts and partners, while events, staff travel and public visits to EFSA premises have been suspended until at least 8 April.

These measures are being reviewed constantly in light of new information.

Rolling information on the outbreak and risks assessments used by the EU Member States and the European Commission in their response activities are being updated continuously by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

The World Health Organization is coordinating global efforts.

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Export Volumes of May-2020 dairy products hit High-USMCA goes into force

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f there was any silver lining in the terrible milk prices earlier this spring, it was that U.S. dairy product prices were competitive on the global market, resulting in the highest export volumes in more than two years. While enjoying those numbers, U.S. dairy industry leaders also celebrated the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) going into force on July 1.

Here’s an update on three U.S. ag export categories tracked by Progressive Dairy and other dairy export news.

Dairy products Record sales of nonfat dry milk and skim milk powder (NDM/SMP), improved shipments of cheese, strong exports of lactose and steady volumes of whey products highlighted May’s dairy trade report, according to the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC).

• Volume basis: U.S. suppliers shipped 210,429 tons of milk powders, cheese, whey products, lactose and butterfat in May 2020, 18% more than the May 2019 and the most since April 2018. May was the second-best month for cheese exports on record. Southeast Asia remained the leading market for U.S. dairy products, and sales to China continued to improve.

NDM/SMP sales to the Middle East/ North Africa (MENA) region were the most in almost six years, and shipments to China were up more than sixfold from a year ago. Sales to Mexico continue to lag.

• Value basis: The value of all U.S. dairy exports was $585.2 million, 8% more than a year ago.

• Total milk solids basis: U.S. exports were equivalent to 17.4% of U.S. milk solids production in May, the highest rate

since April 2018. In the first five months of the year, exports were 15.5% of production (Table 1).

“Like April, May was another positive month for American dairy, which continues to outperform agricultural exports as a whole,” noted Michael Dykes, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA). “Over the first five months of the year, the value of U.S. dairy exports is 12 percent ahead of the same period as last year, while volume growth is tracking 10 percent ahead of the same period.”

Dairy heifer exports down Exports of U.S. dairy replacement heifers fell off sharply in May, and those that traveled won’t get many mileage points.

2017. Tony Clayton, Clayton Agri-Marketing Inc., Jefferson City, Missouri, said breeding management changes in the U.S. are impacting dairy cattle exports.

“Many farms are breeding dairy cows to beef bulls,” Clayton said. “This really takes the U.S. out of the export market to the world because our customers will not consider heifers with a beef calf.”

In addition, some U.S. heifer growers are no longer willing to take the financial risk of carrying an inventory of cattle they hope to sell.

Morocco, Turkey and other countries are creating markets for U.S. dairy heifers, but in some cases, new buyers have unrealistic specifications. Most require some type of pedigree, genomics testing and a pregnancy by artificial insemination.

“Most buyers around the world think every animal produced in the United States has a full three-generation pedigree, is bred with sexed semen and has a GTPI (Genetic Total Performance Index) above 2,300,” Clayton said.

Based on USDA’s monthly report, exports totaled just 507 during the month, the lowest total dating back to the first half of 2016. Of heifers changing addresses, 427 heifers went to Canada, with the remaining 80 going to Mexico. Thanks to a strong start to the year, January-May 2020 dairy replacement heifer exports are still the strongest for that period since

“They also don’t understand that buying dairy heifers with the high specifications is like buying a luxury car with all the extra features. They cost more. Many farms around the world need milk, so they should probably learn to drive the Chevrolet before they fully upgrade to the Cadillac.” www.progressivedairy.com/news/industry-news

International Dairy Week cancelled

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nternational Dairy Week has been cancelled due to coronavirus restrictions.

Due to take place in Tatura from January 17 to 21, the organising committee announced they had made the “hard call” to cancel the event.

“For many this news will be expected, but after 30 years it is still a hard call to

make,” a post of the event’s Facebook page said. “Although we sincerely hoped we could run IDW 2021, we find with current restrictions we really have no choice.

ularly the Tatura community.” Organisers said the uncertainty around the re-opening of borders, and the lockdown in Victoria was too much to continue with the event.

“We know it is the right decision and that we need to make some sacrifices to get through the current circumstances.

“When we come together in January we are more than a cow show and dairy extravaganza, we are a community.”

“We realise this will impact many, partic-

The event will return in 2022.

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51

Asia fresh milk to increase over the next decade

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riven by increasing demand for whole fresh milk in Asia, the market is expected to continue an upward consumption trend over the next decade, according to market researcher IndexBox in its report, Asia – Whole Fresh Milk – Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends and Insights. According to FAO projections, Asian production is expected to increase by 2% in 2020 due to expected growth in India, Pakistan, and China, while Turkey may experience a decline.

After four years of growth, the Asian whole fresh milk market decreased by -2.1% to $309.6 billion in 2019. The market value increased at an average annual rate of +4% over the past decade. The pace of growth was the most pronounced in 2010 with an increase of 15% y-o-y.

Over the period under review, the market attained the maximum level at $316.1 billion in 2018 and then dropped slightly in the following year. India (198 million tonnes) remains the largest whole fresh

milk consuming country in Asia, accounting for 54% of total volume. Moreover, whole fresh milk consumption in India exceeded the figures recorded by the second-largest consumer, Pakistan (47 million tonnes), fourfold. The third position in this ranking was occupied by China (35 million tonnes), with a 9.6% share.

From 2009 to 2019, the average annual rate of growth in terms of volume in India totalled +5.4%. The remaining consuming countries recorded the following average annual rates of consumption growth: Pakistan (+3.2% per year) and China (-1.2% per year).In value terms, India ($146.8 billion) led the market, alone. The second position in the ranking was occupied by Pakistan ($37.3 billion), followed by China.

The countries with the highest levels of whole fresh milk per capita consumption in 2019 were Uzbekistan (339kg per person), Turkey (281kg per person), and Pakistan (231kg per person). India,

Consumers change with Covid-19

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airy brands need to capitalise on consumer demands for natural and functional products, according to Will Cowling of FMCG Gurus Covid-19 is resulting in consumers re-evaluating their eating and drinking habits as they seek to stave off the threat of disease and illness. Currently, few consumers are actively looking to increase their dairy intake to improve health, something that will be related to concerns about fat and sugar content.

To respond to this, the dairy industry needs to promote natural formulation ingredients at a time when consumers put emphasis on product purity and seek out ingredients that boost health.

Consumers looking to improve their diets to reduce the risk of vulnerability to serious health problems are thus growing.

Indeed, in May 2020, a total of 80% of consumers said that they planned to improve their diets because of Covid 19, a

noticeable increase compared to the 72% who said this a month earlier. However, at the same time, only 10% of consumers said that they were planning to increase their dairy intake, compared to 11% in April. This indicates that consumers do not automatically equate dairy with better-for-you diets, something that can be attributed to some of the ingredients found in products.

Indeed, in May 2020, consumers who said they were planning to improve their diets said they were going to do this by reducing their intake of sugar (57%) and fat (19%). These are two ingredients that are often commonly associated with the dairy industry. At the same time, a total of 29% of consumers planning to eat and drink healthier in May said they were going to increase intake of calcium (32% in April) and 41% said they were going to increase protein intake (37% in April).

In addition to this, a total of 56% of consumers say that they are now being more

Dairy Times

the world’s largest milk producer, is projected to increase production by 2.6%, or five million tonnes. The increase expected this year reflects the efforts of the vast network of rural co-operatives that have been mobilised to maintain milk collection despite the pandemic. Given the loss of sales in the foodservice industry due to the Covid-19 lockdown, large volumes of milk were sent for processing to drying plants, which were reported to operate at almost full capacity.

In China, where the sector has been recovering since 2018, it is projected that milk production will increase by almost 3% in 2020, amid ongoing consolidation of farms and increased efficiency of large dairy enterprises.

The introduction of stringent food safety standards by the government has also increased consumer confidence in Chinese milk, which has helped support domestic production growth.

attentive to natural claims because of Covid-19, compared to 46% who said this a month earlier. This reflects how consumers want products that they believe contain only real and authentic ingredients that offer genuine nutritional value. The element of realness and authenticity is also important to consumers because they want better-for-you products that they also deem tasty.

In recent years, there have been mixed views towards the dairy industry, with consumers simultaneously being concerned about sugar and fat content and at the same time, finding protein and calcium content appealing. In order to target consumers who are taking a more proactive approach to health, the industry needs to offer full transparency when it comes to nutritional labeling, so it is not being seen to disguise certain ingredients used in products. Moreover, brands need to promote the concept of products being natural (and linked to this, other desirable features such as locality and sustainability) and health boosting ingredients such as protein and calcium. This is something that will appeal to consumers who believe that Covid-19 will continue to impact their daily lives for at least 12 months.

Source : www.dairyindustries.com

52

US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee confirms dairy’s place in diet

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embers of the US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) have confirmed that dairy products should maintain a central, important role in federal nutrition recommendations for people beginning at a very early age, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) reports.

In addition to maintaining three servings of dairy per day, the committee found strong evidence pointing to positive health outcomes from dairy foods.

In fact, a diet including low-fat and fatfree dairy, legumes, whole grains, fruits and vegetables is considered the ideal, healthy dietary pattern for all ages. In other key findings from its draft scientific report, the DGAC highlighted new evi-

dence strengthening dairy’s role in maintaining bone health for adults.

For mothers, it dispelled misinformation about dairy’s link to asthma, saying there is no association between a mother’s consumption of dairy and the development of asthma in children.

A new topic introduced in these dietary guidelines lays the groundwork for clearer nutrition recommendations for children from birth through 24 months of age, with the experts recommending small amounts of some foods including dairy foods, alongside fruits and vegetables, nut and seed products, and whole grain products, beginning at six to 12 months and continuing thereafter. For toddlers, dairy foods are particularly important for the vitamins and nutrients they provide.

This recommendation could not be clearer, demonstrating what the American Academy of Pediatrics has stressed for years, that dairy plays a critical role in

the diet of children to bolster long-term health. Once again, the committee found no link between consumption of dairy foods and incidences of breast cancer, which should put an end to a longstanding disinformation campaign to alarm and confuse the public.

IDFA is disappointed the reported outcomes did not include a mention of relevant scientific studies that show the benefits of dairy at each fat level.

There is robust evidence to support the inclusion of dairy foods at all fat levels in recommended food patterns. With the DGAC’s role coming to an end, IDFA encouraged the US Department of Agriculture to remedy this in the final guidelines.

The conclusions offered by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee firmly establish dairy as one of the most nutritionally beneficial foods in dietary patterns alongside fruits and vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.

IDFA says it is pleased to see federal nutrition guidance continue to affirm the important nutritional contributions made by dairy foods and remind Americans that a healthy diet includes three daily servings of dairy.

Fonterra names chairman-elect McBride will replace current Fonterra chairman, John Monaghan (right in photo), when he retires as a director of the coop at its annual meeting this November.

Monaghan says that the early announcement of McBride as chairman-elect is part of the board’s commitment to planned governance succession.

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onterra Co-operative Group has announced that current farmer director, Peter McBride (left in photo), has been selected as the cooperative’s chairman-elect by his fellow directors.

Under Fonterra’s constitution, the chairman is selected by the board from within its pool of seven elected farmer directors.

“We have made significant progress over the past two years in our effort to refresh our co-op’s purpose, strategy and culture.

It is important to the board that we provide stability while Miles and his team continue to embed the changes and to maintain our momentum.

“Making this decision now also gives our

Dairy Times

farmer-owners transparency of leadership prior to this years’ director elections and allows Peter and I a period of handover before I retire from the board in November.”

McBride says he is humbled to be selected by his fellow directors and is looking forward to leading the co-op on behalf of its 10,000 farming families: “I grew up on a dairy farm near Te Aroha and today my wife Linda and I run the family farm milking 950 cows in the South Waikato, so dairy has always been part of my life.

“I’m looking forward to working with John before leading our co-op into its next phase and creating value for our farmer owners and unit holders.”

53

Keeping safe in scary times

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hat hygiene measures and extra precautions should be taken by food and beverage manufacturers, suppliers and distributors during the COVID-19 outbreak? Bethan Grylls investigates, receiving some vital advice from a hygiene expert.

The food and beverage supply chain is fundamental to our daily lives and the economy. We all need food and drink to survive, so it is critical that each step in the chain remains operational throughout these uncertain times.

wine manufacturer or distributor, along with reputations of wine regions or appellations for wine growers and associations.

Date 27 May | Time 16.00 BST. Hygiene management “Food manufacturers must continue to follow current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP),” Akansha Sohani, a hygiene expert and certified lead auditor (ISO22000-2005), advised.

“They must focus their attention on five key things: people, premises, processes and products, and check that the precautions they’re taking in each area are sufficient.”

Sohani stressed the importance of following a Food Safety Management System (FSMS) that incorporates the current food hygiene guidance and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) processes.

Although current opinion is that animals in China were the likely source of the initial coronavirus (COVID-19) infection,1 the European Food Safety Authority (ESFA) has stated that it is unlikely that the virus can be transmitted through the consumption of food.2 Instead, it is believed that the disease spreads from person to person, mostly via sneezing, coughing or exhaling. The virus can also live temporarily on surfaces if an infected worker has come into contact with that area.

With this in mind, it is crucial that key workers, such as those operating in manufacturing plants, follow strict hygiene protocols. The food and beverage industry already adhere to stringent safety measures, but it is now more important than ever that these standards are followed – and even heightened – to protect workers and customers from COVID-19.

Webinar: Using NMR for brand protection and ensuring supply chain integrity of wine There is increasing global demand to establish the authenticity of food products by demonstrating an unbroken supply chain from the source through to the final consumers. Assuring authenticity and integrity of wines protects the brand of a

“Hygiene management should complement and be part of a company’s management system, which includes the quality management system.

An employee, trained accordingly, should be appointed as Hygiene Supervisor.

They are responsible for the functioning, controlling and continuous optimisation of the hygiene management system and have particular duties under food law.”

These include that: • Biometrics are frequently cleaned and sanitised after beginning and end of shifts • Staff are trained appropriately in food hygiene and hygienic practices • Effective supervision of staff is carried out to reinforce hygienic practices • Necessary facilities, for example, hand washing points and toilets, are provided to enable staff (including delivery drivers) to practice good hygiene • Staff and contractors report any physical signs/symptoms of illness before commencing work or while in the workplace • The hygiene supervisor remains vigilant and ensures that staff are fit and well to work.

Surfaces Depending on the type of material, COVID-19 can live on a surface for

Dairy Times

several hours or even days. If a person comes into contact with such a surface and touches their eyes, nose or mouth, it is indeed possible for them to become infected.1 The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has stated that as an extra precaution, food facilities may wish to consider “a more frequent cleaning and sanitation schedule for high human contact surfaces”.4 “Food facilities may wish to consider a more frequent cleaning and sanitation schedule for high human contact surfaces” Hands should be washed on a regular basis with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

The likelihood of catching the virus from packaging that has been moved, travelled and exposed to different conditions is minimal, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).3 However, packaging should still be cleaned and handled in line with standard food safety practices.

Hand washing Hands should be washed on a regular basis with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

Sohani outlines particular occasions when food workers must wash their hands:

• At the beginning and end of each shift, including breaks • After using the washroom • After picking up product waste from the floor • Any time hands become contaminated (touching dirty surfaces, rubbish bins, etc) • After blowing their nose, coughing, sneezing, etc • When entering the production floor from a less clean area (eg, outside or in a canteen)

54 • After handling money.

If soap and water are not available, an alcohol based hand sanitiser can be used.

The sanitiser must contain at least 60 percent alcohol. However, if hands are visibly dirty, soap and water must be used. It is worth noting that, generally, sanitisers should not replace handwashing in food production and retail settings, but rather be used in addition.

“Inconsistent approaches have the potential to jeopardise our food system” A distance of two metres should be maintained between people to reduce the chances of exposure to COVID-19 “Workplaces should place sanitising hand rub dispensers in prominent places around the workplace and make sure these dispensers are regularly refilled,” Sohani advised. Due to the lack of hand sanitisers available on the market, the FDA has reported some food establishments setting up quaternary ammonium hand-dip stations and sprays at 200ppm concentration. However, it has stressed that these products are designed for surfaces and should not be formulated for use on skin.

Social distancing in the plant “When employees work in processing and other sensitive areas, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recommends that social distances be implemented to help slow the spread of COVID-19. This means maintaining a distance of two metres (6.6 feet) between people and reducing social interactions,” Sohani explained.

• She outlined how the food industry should be implementing social distancing: • Limit the number of staff in a kitchen or food preparation area at any one time • Space out workstations and food preparation areas • Limit the number of people (staff, delivery drivers, customers) who can come into your premises at any one time • Restrict entries of visitors and customers to processing areas for a period of time

• Control frequent movement of employees from the processing area to other areas • An identified area should be marked for walking and moving materials in the plant.

It is worth noting the FDA’s caution that: “Maintaining social distancing in the absence of effective hygiene practices may not prevent the spread of this virus.”4 Staff awareness “Food industry hygiene officers should ensure that staff are aware of the COVID-19 situation and the advice being given in relation to symptoms, social distancing, self isolation and travel,” Sohani added. This includes the following: • Having display boards that clearly indicate the symptoms of COVID-19, as well as measures to be taken to stop spreading the virus • Protective clothing to be provided to every food handler; this should be cleaned and sanitised every day • When possible, employees should work remotely • Workers’ entry into the plant should be restricted so that entry is only possible

tion.”

when required.

Waste disposal Sohani also outlined that: “All food businesses should make sure that waste disposal of all food waste and general waste is disposed on a daily basis. Gloves, masks and aprons should be disposed of appropriately immediately after use, as they can be the major source of spreading virus and contamina-

Review health policies and procedures Current employee health policies should prohibit food workers from working in food establishments while sick. Sohani recommended the following: • Review your sick leave policies and expand upon paid leave options for your workers, if possible. Offering paid sick leave will help mitigate the economic impacts of missed work for your employees, while simultaneously keeping the rest of your employees and customers well • Workers that are exhibiting symptoms matching COVID-19 should stay at home. Where possible, employees with family members/caregivers with symptoms matching COVID-19 should also stay at home • Talk with your workers about employ-

Dairy Times

ee health requirements and expectations.

Now is a good time to retrain your employees as needed to ensure everyone is on the same page • Food workers and managers with coughing, shortness of breath, fever, or other symptoms of illness should not return to work until they are symptom-free.

Current guidance is to stay at home until at least 72 hours after symptoms have disappeared. This may be altered by medical diagnosis, local health direction, changing community conditions, etc.

What to do when an employee tests positive “Inconsistent approaches to reacting to an individual, particularly manufacturing personnel, who test positive for COVID-19, have the potential to jeopardise our food system,” guidance issued by the Food and Beverage Issue Alliance warned.5 If someone becomes unwell, with a persistent cough or high temperature, in the workplace, the advice is to send them home. Guidance can be found on your local government website, eg, Gov.uk, CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention).

Managing transportation and delivery of goods Transport containers should be checked by a supervisor, who will ensure the vehicle is: • Clean and in good condition • Protecting food from contamination, allowing separation of foods and other goods that may cause contamination • Easy to clean and/or disinfect • Not used to transport prohibited products.

“Proper training and awareness should also be given to drivers on social distancing when picking up materials and passing deliveries to customers. They should be wearing suitable protective clothing, maintaining a high degree of personal cleanliness, and sanitising hands before and after each delivery transaction,” Sohani said. There are arguments against wearing gloves, as some have suggested it offers a false sense of protection, with individuals more likely to touch their face. The best way to protect yourself?

The general consensus seems to be: avoid contact with your nose, mouth and eyes, and wash your hands thoroughly and regularly in soapy water.

Source : New Food Volume 23, Issue 02

55

Mozzarella cheese, traceability, consumer choices and chemometrics

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armelo Parisi is at Liceo Scientifico Statale Stanislao Cannizzaro, Caterina Barone is from the COIF Association, Sharaf S Omar is with Department of Nutrition and Food Processing, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Al-Balqa Applied University in Jordan and Ramesh Kumar Sharma is a scientific writer and food safety consultant in India look at traceability in the world’s most popular cheese.

The current market for cheeses worldwide is facing many challenges, including the succession of cyclic overproduction periods, the availability of similar cheeses or raw material prices in the same economic area, and the possibility of non-production related crises, such as the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. (Barone and Parisi 2020; Haddad and Parisi 2020; Mania et al. 2017).

With reference to cow’s milk cheeses, the original raw material is available as liquid

milk or in form of refrigerated or frozen cow’s milk curds. (Delgado et al. 2017; Haddad and Parisi 2020) The liberalisation of prices and the globalisation of the cheese markets have also enhanced the international requirements for a reliable hygiene, integrity, traceability, and sharing (HITS) strategy (Parisi and Haddad 2020).

Concerning the issues of traceability and authenticity, a joint effort by different food business operators is needed. However the same thing can also be affirmed, when looking at consumers’ choices for a particular cheese typology in a certain region.

On the other side, chemometrics may be interesting when speaking of cheese production. Apparently similar cheeses from different curds of the same country might have dissimilar features, and consequently will have different success from the consumers’ viewpoint.

Dairy Times

This reflection could help future technologists to plan a first-level screen ing control for cheese raw materials, with the aim of pre-classifying curds for particular production streams.

HITS strategy The use of cow’s milk curd in producing a typical mozzarella cheese can be an advantage for a cheese making industry, instead of using the local milk. Logistics, manipulation, working procedures and the management of good manufacturing practices and hygiene risks would be simplified.

Moreover, obtainable good yields can be interesting enough, and production management could thus be pre-planned with the aim of simplifying the flow of the entering raw materials.

Finally, the use of pre produced curds could be useful because of the easy management of the microbial cultures involved, similar to other products (Barone and Parisi 2020; Haddad 2017).

On the other side, it may be observed that many products, including cheeses, can be realised in a country with different features, and not be dependent only on the national “cultural heritage” and techno-

56 One question has many possible answers, and the nature of curds – low moisture, low pH, high fat matter, etc – may be also dependent on the national or geographical origin of the milks and resulting curds.

Could technologists also be able to preclassify curds of different origins or nationalities by means of a simple chemical and microbiological analyses? The answer is yes, when looking at modern chemometric investigations.

Chemometrics concerns computer assisted mathematical techniques able to extract information from complex and multivariate datasets with different aims (Nunes et al. 2012; Parisi et al. 2016).

logical habits (Delgado et al. 2016). The reasons for this apparent diversification in a single country may be ascribed to the natural differences between cheese producers in the same nation, region, or local area.

Different versions of the same product into a geographically and historically defined area can be responsible for the diversification of sensorial and technological features of food products, with commercial consequences by the consumers’ viewpoint, in terms of preference. However, some other possibilities exist, and these could also be investigated as a commonly observed characteristic of the modern food industry.

Chemometrics Could a typical food have different versions? Should the answer be positive, many factors would have to be evaluated in advance. One of these factors is surely the typology of the raw material used, and cheese is peculiar because the main raw material is milk.

Should cow’s milk curd be used in cheese production, a significant part of the process would be probably carried out in a different factory as compared with the location of the final product.

This situation can be observed when speaking of industrial mozzarella cheese.

On this basis, it can be inferred that one raw material type can be used with the aim of producing more than one cheese typology.

In addition, one cheese can be produced from two similar, or different, cow’s milk

curds, if used together. Other possibilities can occur, on condition that the typology of the curd is equal. As an example, all the curds in a particular mixture are obtained from pasteurised cow’s milk, with the specified features and the possible identification of the countries producing the milk, noted.

However, it has to be considered that a single production of mozzarella cheese can be obtained from two or more identified cow’s milk curds in the same process, from the initial melting to the final packaging, provided that the definition of the final cheese is not in contrast with the initial milk typologies.

These variations include whether the milk is from cows or buffalos, the milk is pasteurised or subject to other thermal treatments, whether it is organic or regular milk, the particular geographical origins of the milk, and whether curdling is done via enzymes or by using alternative methods, among other options.

Differences Could these cheeses be perceived differently from the sensorial angle? The answer is important, because consumers have different preferences in different countries, at least.

Consequently, one consumer could find a cheese having either questionable or excellent features, depending on how the “national” identification of this cheese with a peculiar typology sits. For example, “yellow” mozzarella cheese may be acceptable, if compared with a traditional “white” mozzarella cheese.

Dairy Times

The pattern recognition of certain cheese products can be easily obtained by the means of principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA).

Clustering analysis As an example of this method, Figure 1 shows a PCA/HCA dendrogram of a simulative study concerning 24 different cheeses with the same “mozzarella” name, where the data used relates to only moisture, fat matter, and pH values. All of the data ranges from 48-52, 18-24 and 5.30-6.30, respectively.

For this result, the free-user software Chemoface, version 1.64 (Nunes et al.

2012), at www.ufla.br/chemoface, was utilised. In this simulation, the HCArelated dendrogram result showed that three cheese groups (with blue, red, and green colours) are similar enough and were probably produced with very similar curds, while some of the other cheeses were really different, as seen in some of the other samples, such as sample 1.

The reason may be probably the single or main use of one particular raw material for similar cheeses, while other cheeses were produced differently. This information may be helpful, if the commercially preferred mozzarella cheese belongs to one specific group only.

Consequently, further use of multivariate-analysis techniques may be interesting enough to look at, when identifying consumer preferences and the traceability of the raw materials used in a particular type of cheese.

Source : www.dairyindustries.com

57

Safety in the face of a pandemic

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ew Food’s Editor discovers how some major players in the market are protecting their employees during the COVID-19 crisis and the concerns some have expressed over food supply and safety.

rus can live for several hours – even up to several days – on surfaces, depending on the type of material and the conditions it is exposed to (eg, temperature).

If the studies are accurate, this is far less time than most common foodborne germs can survive on surfaces, including norovirus, which can live for weeks on surfaces and even survive freezing and heating.

“When someone starts coughing, the chance of producing airborne droplets that can be inhaled, particularly for those working in confined spaces, massively increases”

With the threat of a highly contagious, life-threatening virus looming over us, the food industry is witnessing unprecedented pressure from all angles. However, the world must continue to have access to a safe supply of food. It is, therefore, imperative that these challenges do not compromise the safety of our key workers or the food we eat.

Virus transmission We currently have limited information about COVID-19, but so far there is no indication* that the virus is transmitted by the ingestion of food; with public health officials yet to find such a case. Experts are also looking to historical outbreaks of related coronavirus, such as SARS and MERS, for guidance. In both instances, transmission did not occur via food consumption.1 Webinar: How to efficiently and successfully implement a new food testing method in accordance with ISO 16140-part 3 ISO 16140 part 3, method verification, is one of the six standards belonging to the ISO 16140 series dealing with the various aspects of method validation. The basic standard for the ISO 16140 series is part 2 on the validation of alternative (proprietary) methods.

The critical thing to remember with COVID-19 is that “virus entry has to be via direct contact with a mucus membrane in the eyes, nose or mouth,” explained Robert Verkerk, co-director of ANH Consultancy and Founder of the Alliance for Natural Health International.

An infected individual could potentially transfer their respiratory droplets onto a surface by coughing or sneezing, but the most common form of transmission is person-to-person. Therefore, as Frank Yiannas, Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), announced in a recent press conference, food products need not be recalled in the event that someone in the workplace is confirmed as COVID-19 positive.

However, it is imperative for good hygiene practices to be observed at all times, and food business operators must continue to follow the relevant standards and regulations. Employers should also affirm the importance of frequent handwashing,

REGISTER NOW According to the World Health Organization (WHO), studies suggest that the vi-

with employees taking note of the 20 second handwashing rule.

Keeping up with demand, while keeping safe Food plant workers are usually shoulder-to-shoulder, so implementing social distancing may prove a difficult task “There is a lot of pressure on the industry right now to keep operating and keep up with higher demand, whilst also ensuring their workforce is safe,” noted Professor Chris Elliott of Queen’s University Belfast.

“If someone is not feeling particularly well or exhibiting some of the symptoms, they need to self-isolate,” he continued.

In Northern Ireland, where Prof Elliott is based, he explained that approximately 10 percent of food workers in the plant are not working. “That is not to say that that 10 percent is suffering from coronavirus,” he said, “they might be protecting vulnerable family members, or are themselves at heightened risk, or they may have similar symptoms. Companies are taking precautionary measures, which is absolutely right.”

An Arla spokesperson informed New Food that it is preparing for such absences. “People are training and preparing to switch tasks if they need to, with farmers potentially driving milk tankers and lorries, and our head office workers joining the production line.”

However, operating with lower numbers means coping with demand is challenging. UK retailer Ocado has reportedly spent £1.5 million on 100,000 test kits in an attempt to keep as many employees as possible in the warehouses and on the road.

However, despite its best efforts, it is struggling to keep up with demand. “No matter how hard we work, we simply do not have the capacity right now,” the retailer stated.3 As a result, it is prioritising certain deliveries; for example, to its most vulnerable customers.* “This is our wake-up call, it is time to reboot a lot of our systems because the likelihood is that something like this will happen again” “We need to have cooperation across the supply chain,” Verkerk

Dairy Times

58 emphasised. “To help offer some relief to the food industry, consumers need to look to wartime rationing – buy a whole chicken rather than a packet of breast; it involves a lot less processing, fewer workers, and it will also go a long way.”

Arla is also seeing an “exceptionally high level of demand” and told New Food that it recently delivered a record number of products to stores around the UK. “To deliver the highest volume of dairy products, we have simplified our production and the number of different types of products we produce,” the Arla spokesperson said. “We also have a track record of supporting foodbanks. In 2019 we provided 644.29 tonnes of product to Fareshare (a charity that fights hunger and food waste); that is enough for an estimated 1,534,054 meals, and we are continuing with this support.”

Safety should not be compromised It is certainly commendable how quickly the industry has adapted and innovated in the face of this pandemic, but could coping with these rapid changes spell trouble?

“Staff working in food service businesses are finding themselves redeployed to new roles that they may not have been trained for, whilst new recruits are having to learn their roles at a far more rapid pace than would normally be expected,” Lynne Regent, CEO of the Anaphylaxis Campaign, pointed out.

She also expressed concern for those living with severe allergies. “They need reassurance from the food and food delivery industries that they will not overlook vital allergen regulations, food safety guidance and training during this time, which could seriously jeopardise their safety as a result.”

“The coronavirus crisis shows how vulnerable the global economy is and has exposed weaknesses in our systems and societies,” added Michael Gusko, MD of GoodMills Innovation. “It’s possible that the epidemic will put an end to the general carelessness often seen when handling food. For example, for the millennial generation, stockpiling has not been a major issue so far.

Or, take supply chain security; if we shift the production of raw materials and products to low-cost geographies, such as China or India, we may gain access to

cheaper ingredients; but, in the event of a crisis, we may not be able to source any raw materials – or protective clothing or medicines – at all!” He continued: “The current COVID-19 pandemic shows that we need to consider the link between the consumption of animal products and the emergence of epidemics and pandemics: intensive farming increases the risk of pandemics.

Whether swine flu, bird flu or coronavirus, there will always be mutations that spread rapidly in our globalised world and then become difficult to contain. In addition, intensive animal husbandry threatens the efficacy of antibiotics, which could lead to further serious health risks in the future.”

Social distancing Industry is also trying to quickly introduce measures such as social distancing (keeping at least two metres apart from others) to protect employees.

“When someone starts coughing, the chance of producing airborne droplets that can be inhaled, particularly for those working in confined spaces, massively increases. That is the logic for coughing and sneezing into your elbow, to catch some of those aerosols,” Verkerk explained.

A lot of companies now have virtual meetings using video conferencing tools However, social distancing is a difficult feat for the food industry. “If you have ever been in a big food processing factory, it’s usually shoulder-to-shoulder work,” highlighted Prof Elliott. Susan Nash,

Trade Communications Manager at Mondelēz International, told New Food that the company has been “proactive in putting in place extensive measures”. Along with social distancing and increasing its “already stringent hygiene measures”, the company has also adopted health screenings and temperature checks on site. She added, “We have also worked hard to increase personal protection equipment for critical roles to further protect employ-

Dairy Times

ees.” “Most of GoodMills’ meetings have been replaced by telephone and video conferencing,” Gusko added. “The few that remain, such as mandatory audits, take place in oversized rooms, where a minimum distance of two metres between people can be maintained.”

In product development, he explained that work is now carried out in two shifts instead of one – “the two teams don’t actually see each other,” he noted – while GoodMills’ production has been isolated and the truck drivers delivering its raw materials wear masks.

Safety at home “Although government is publishing a lot of information, confusion remains on how contamination occurs,” Verkerk explained. “Workers need to have more – and clearer – information than is currently available.” He continued: “It is key that those still working ensure they’re not bringing contamination into their homes and potentially infecting their families.

When you come home from work, do not make contact with anyone; you should go inside and wash straight away. Get undressed in front of the washing machine.

“Sanitation has always been the most important mechanism at managing infectious diseases. Today, we have become so used to having a pill or vaccine, we have almost forgotten some of these basic procedures that will help protect us.”

Life after COVID-19 “I don’t think any industry was ready for this. It has taken so many people by shock,” Prof Chris Elliott commented on the food industry’s response. “I spoke to a multinational retailer – they had produced a pandemic plan about 10 years ago, not ever thinking they’d use it.” He explained that when they reviewed it, it was clear the plan hadn’t been touched in that decade because “the expectation of something like this happening was so low”.

He concluded, “This is our wake-up call, it is time to reboot a lot of our systems because the likelihood is that something like this will happen again. Hopefully not for a long time, but we must be better prepared. A lot of things will change following this outbreak…but I believe for the better.”

Source : New Food Volume 23, Issue 02

59 Christina Chien, analyst at Euromonitor International, says, “The growth of [dairy] product varieties in offline stores is mainly driven by the increasing demand for health concerns… consumers are willing to spend more when it comes to products related to their health.”

In particular, flavoured milks are doing well as a healthier alternative to alcohol, she said. “As more and more consumers care about healthy and mindful eating, drinks containing more than 50 per cent milk are very common in the market now.”

Taiwan gets a taste for fresh milk More producers and new products are driving the nation’s demand for fresh milk in small packages. Dinah Gardener in Taipei reports

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upermarkets and convenience stores in Taiwan are making room for an expanding and dizzying array of fresh milk products. With some of the highest consumer milk prices in the world and local dairy farmers struggling to meet demand, especially in the peak summer months, this is good news for exporting overseas producers.

Many convenience stores checked in Taipei by Dairy Industries International currently stock fresh milk from as many as 12 producers or more, ranging from local industry leaders Uni-President and Kuang Chuan Dairy, to social enterprise Pure milk, Taiwan tourist farm Chulu Ranch and Australia’s Burra Foods.

Varieties came in full fat and skimmed, some with added vitamins, calcium or protein, others blended with soybeans or peanuts, or flavoured with chocolate, coffee, papaya, honey or apple (50 per cent or more milk content). Fresh Delight (part of US company Standard Foods) even offers a lutein-fortified milk that pours out yellow from the carton.

Less than five years ago, there was less than one-third of such milk choices in Taiwan. Market data tells the same story.

The Taiwanese are really getting a thirst

for fresh milk. According to Italy-based dairy consultancy CLAL, per capita Taiwan consumption of milk has been rising steadily since 2012, and more steeply since 2018. In 2019, the per capita milk consumption in Taiwan was 18.89kg, a rise of 6.7 per cent year-on-year.

Market research provider Euro monitor International reported that Taiwan spent Taiwan new dollars $18.2 billion (€549 million) on fresh milk and cream in 2019, up from TW$17.4bn (€525m) in 2018.

Its projections for this year and 2021 see that rising about another three per cent per year, or an extra TW$594.2 million (€17.9m) and TW$601.6m (€18.2m), respectively.

Healthy option Dairy industry workers and market analysts identify the drivers behind this demand as a growing perception of dairy as a healthy option, thanks in part to a government initiative.

In recent years, Taiwan’s ministry of health and welfare has been urging Taiwanese to “drink a glass of milk twice a day.” The ministry’s Health Promotion Administration marked World Milk Day this June by encouraging people to drink more milk as a good source of calcium.

Dairy Times

One variety fortified with calcium, comes in a carton decorated with the photo of a doctor dressed in a white coat, stethoscope dangling around his neck and the slogan, ‘Recommended by doctors’ in Chinese.

A growth in coffee culture within Taiwan is also having a big impact. A 2019 Euromonitor report on the dairy industry noted the “increasing popularity of drip coffee [is] providing a boost to fresh milk sales, while specialist coffee shops and dessert cafés [were] among the most dynamic formats in consumer foodservice in 2019.”

Yu-bin Chen, the owner of family-run Hong-an Dairy Farm, with 200 Holstein cows in Tainan in southern Taiwan, also puts rising demand down to increased milky coffee sales. “There are more cafes now like Starbucks and [local leading franchise] Louisa and people are trying all different kinds of coffee… the coffee market is growing, it’s just like an explosion and coffees like lattes and cappuccinos need milk,” Chen notes.

Fluid milk imports are controlled via a tariff rate quota (auctioned annually, set at 21,298 tonnes with tariffs at 15 per cent), out-of-quota tariffs at TW$15.6 (€0.47) per kilogram, and special safeguards (SSG) when either the volume or unit price goes too high, when an additional 33.3 per cent surcharge is applied on top of the tariff.

Overseas producers can tap this growing demand and still make a profit despite these protections. A 2019 US Department of Agriculture report argues, “Despite the formal market access limitations caused by the quota and SSG, fluid milk imports remain competitive given Taiwan dairy farmers’ high cost of production.”

60 cent in 2020, despite Covid-19. Demand for fresh milk will stay strong so the focus should be on promoting health and quality, says Euro monitor’s Chen.

“Consumers look for products either with specific functions or using better ingredients and trustworthy sourcing.” Angélique Hollister, USDEC vice president for global cheese marketing, adds that Taiwanese consumers “are looking for healthy food, so companies should market the nutrition benefits of cheese to further encourage consumption.”

That high cost translates into top prices in stores, some of “the highest in the world,” Euro monitor’s Chien says. Taiwan’s milk prices are almost four times as expensive as those in the US, for example.

Hongan Dairy farm has a long term contract with the top producer, Uni President, which holds almost 30 per cent of the market share. Producers buy raw milk from farmers for between TW$2832 per kg (€0.84-€0.96), Chen explains. By the time it reaches the stores, a carton of 375ml (a typical size in Taiwan, where small and convenient rules), or about 1/3 kg, costs TW$35 (€1.05) or more.

Local production costs are high because the majority of forage is not grown in Taiwan. “We have to import a lot of silage from overseas, such as hay,” Chen says.

Another issue is technology. Tony Ko, a researcher at Pure milk, explains, “If you want to raise cows in Taiwan, because of the humidity and high temperatures, you need to enhance your equipment and that’s not an easy job.”

The company, which has about two per cent of Taiwan’s milk market, seeks to give dairy farmers a fair price for their raw milk and to help them modernise farming practices to better compete against overseas producers.

Meeting demand Although local production has been steadily rising, it struggles to meet demand. According to Taiwan Council of Agriculture (COA) statistics, in 2019 Taiwan’s 553 dairy farms produced almost 432,000 tonnes of raw milk, making a demand shortfall of just under 60,000

tonnes, according to Taiwan’s customs administration statistics.

More than half of the resulting imports are supplied by the US, with other major suppliers being New Zealand, France and Australia. New Zealand has an edge from a 2013 Free Trade Agreement with Taiwan, which will see all quotas and tariff restrictions on New Zealand milk lifted by 2025 (currently its tariff-free import quota is set at 8,500 tonnes).

So far, Covid-19 has not dented the market. The country has succeeded in containing the virus through tracing and testing, with less than 500 cases and a total seven deaths, without a lockdown. “We haven’t been impacted by Covid19,” says Chen.

“The Taiwanese government has done everything to keep everyone healthy.”

Yu-wen Li, the general manager of Fonterra Brands business in Taiwan, one of the main New Zealand dairy exporters to Taiwan of milk powder, UHT milk, cheese and butter, says her company was looking to take advantage of the FTA by pushing extended shelf life (ESL) milk.

“ESL products could have high potential in Taiwan region given the fresh [milk] market has been on a fast track these past few years,” Li told Dairy Industries International.

The firm also sees scope to expand into less affluent segments of Taiwan’s market, offering a range of affordable cheeses. “For consumers and food service, cheese is growing at a good pace. While we can keep the momentum with our high-quality products, there are low tier markets, which is white space for Fonterra. We need to find cost competitive products to tap into these.”

US imports have also remained unaffected. According to William Loux, US Dairy Export Council (USDEC) director of global trade analysis US year-to-date exports of fluid milk to Taiwan were up 10 per cent January-April and 16 per cent during April, “the first month where we would have expected to see purchases pull back if related to Covid-19.”

In fact, Covid-19 has boosted the sale of dairy ingredients used in baking, according to the French Trade Office in Taiwan.

In a 2020 report, it commented that sales of milk, creams, and butters have risen, with the pandemic encouraging more people to take up baking after work.

Going forward, analysts and exporters are upbeat about the prospects for Taiwan dairy, with the country’s economy projected by the government to grow 1.6 per

Dairy Times

Convenience will be a big factor in determining which products are successful, adds Hollister. “The Taiwanese primarily consume cheese as a snack, on sandwiches or in bakery items. With any company who wants to export to Asia, I suggest its adapts the packaging to small and/or individual packs. Standard US sizes are too big for non-traditional cheese eaters.”

Source : www.dairyindustries.com

61 and Japan. Cheese exports rebounded to 35,605 tons, up 7%. This was the second-best month ever. Shipments to South Korea (+40% to a record high) and Japan (+45% to the most in almost six years) drove the gains, while sales to Australia and China more than doubled. In contrast, shipments to the MENA region, Mexico and Central America were lower.

Among other products, shipments of whole milk powder (+83%) and milk protein concentrate were higher (+23%), while volume of butterfat (-7%) continued to lag.

US dairy exports reach record high

The strong performance was greater than expectations in light of global lockdowns and supply disruptions due to the Covid-19 outbreak, USDEC says

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n May, US suppliers shipped 210,429 tons of milk powders, cheese, whey products, lactose and butterfat, 18% more than the year before, according to the US Dairy Export Council (USDEC).

This was the highest figure since April 2018. On a solids basis, exports were also up 18%. The value of all exports was $585.2 million (â‚Ź521m), 8% more than a year ago.

In the first five months of the year, US dairy export product volume is up 10% and export value is up 12%.

Exports of NDM/SMP were 79,163 tons in May, the most ever, and up 24% from a year ago. Sales to Southeast Asia (primarily the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam) nearly doubled, and exports to the region accounted for almost half of all NDM/SMP volume. In the first five months of the year, US powder exports to Southeast Asia were up 55% from last year, an increase of more than 10,600 tons per month.

continue to lag, with volume down 28% from last May. May whey exports were 44,304 tons, on par with previous months. This volume was up 17% from the depressed levels of last year, though it still trailed the strong pace of 2018. All the growth in May came from China, where volume was up 153% from last year. Relative to a year ago, whey volume was lower to Mexico, South Korea and Canada.

Shipments of whey protein isolate (WPI) dipped to a seven-month low, though they were still 20% above last year. Gains were posted in volume to China, the EU and Southeast Asia.

US lactose exports reached a 10-month high of 36,429 tons, up 21%. Suppliers increased sales to Southeast Asia, China

Meanwhile, NDM/SMP sales to the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region were the most in almost six years, and shipments to China were up more than six-fold from a year ago.

On a total milk solids basis, US exports were equivalent to 17.4% of US milk solids production in May, which was the highest rate since April 2018. In the first five months of the year, exports were 15.5% of production.

Vietnam decree Meanwhile, Vietnam has signed a decree unilaterally lowering tariffs from the US on key dairy products and ingredients, including skim milk powder, whole milk powder, cheese, milk albumin and protein isolate. The decree went into effect on 10 July. Most tariffs on dairy products and ingredients from the US have decreased by 50% or more.

The measure reduces a competitive disadvantage created when the Transpacific Partnership went into effect without US participation, along with other free trade agreements, including one with the European Union, the USDEC says.

With Australia/New Zealand and the EU all gaining preferred access to Vietnam through the Comprehensive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the EU-Vietnam Trade Agreement, USDEC saw that US suppliers would soon be facing a significant competitive disadvantage. The USDEC thus began a campaign to reduce that disadvantage.

Since 2017, US dairy exports to Vietnam have grown by more than 50%, to $170.5 million (86,230 metric tons) last year, making it the US dairy industry’s eighth-largest export market.

Source : www.dairyindustries.com

In contrast, powder exports to Mexico

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WE CARE F R

YOU 4th

OUR INDUSTRY & OUR COUNTRY

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1 WMNC 2021 is expected to host more than 200 exhibitors and approximately 8000 visitors and delegates from across the country & overseas. Milk and Milk Products are the integral part of the Mithai industry.

More than 50 percent Mithai are made up of milk and milk products. Mithai industry also consumes huge number of milk storage and processing machinery along with related raw materials and ingredients (Firoz H Naqvi, Director FSNM) Contact for stall and participation S. Hasan: +91 8080655009 hasan@advanceinfomedia.com www.wmnc.in

RNI No. MAHENG13830