72% of Asia Believes Dairy Is an Important Part of a Balanced Diet
Dairy demand across Asia has grown rapidly over the last 10 years, with demand for high-quality dairy nutrition increasing by 49%.
Source: Fonterra news release
On the eve of the 13th Annual World Milk Day, new consumer research has revealed that 72% of people in Asia see dairy as an important part of a balanced diet.
However, the research also shows that less than half of the 9,000 people surveyed in nine countries are eating dairy on a daily basis. Fonterra Group Director of Strategy, Maury Leyland, said today’s results clearly demonstrate growing awareness of the importance of dairy nutrition across the region and the opportunity this presents to the New Zealand dairy industry.
"With a fast-growing and increasingly affluent population, people across Asia are becoming more focused on their families receiving the right nutrition," Leyland said. "Fonterra is well-positioned to help meet this demand.
"Our strategy outlines our focus on the Asian markets, where we see big potential for growth," she added. "In New Zealand the average person consumes the equivalent of 245 litres of milk each year, but in Asia this average is only 30 litres."
Dairy demand across Asia has grown rapidly over the last 10 years, with demand for high-quality dairy nutrition increasing by 49%. This trend is set to continue with global demand expected to increase significantly in the coming years.
"This is a real opportunity for Fonterra," said Leyland. "We have teams in 11 markets across Asia educating food companies and consumers about the benefits of dairy, and looking at ways to make dairy more accessible as part of daily diets and a core ingredient in commercial kitchens – and this hard work is paying off.
Of those surveyed in the research released today, Chinese and Thai consumers were the most aware of the benefits of dairy nutrition, with 84% saying they believed it was an important or very important part of a balanced diet. Recognition was the lowest in Indonesia, Taiwan and Vietnam at just over 60% in each country.
Chinese consumers are eating the most dairy with over 60% of people eating at least one serving a day, followed by the Philippines where 53% of people enjoy dairy on a daily basis.
"Dairy is one of the world’s most nutritious foods – a single glass of milk provides 15 essential vitamins and nutrients, contains as much protein as an egg, as many carbohydrates as a quarter cup of rice and the same amount of calcium as 16 cups of spinach.
