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INCREASED CONSUMPTION OF COMFORT FOOD ICE CREAM DURING PANDEMIC BOOSTS DAIRY DEMAND
Oct. 6, 2021
By Tyne Morgan, AgWeb.com
Dairy demand continues to be a bright spot for the dairy industry. While climbing inputs costs, inflation and labor woes continue to mount, demand has been the one constant for dairy farmers not just the past 12 months, but even after the onset of restaurant restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Just this week, USDA provided an updated look at domestic dairy demand, showing during the pandemic shoppers found comfort in dairy products like butter and ice cream. The switch in demand helped cushion the shift from the sudden loss of restaurant demand at the start of the pandemic.
"We beat expectations," says Matt Herrick, senior vice president of communications, International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA). "I think the expectations were (that) consumption would be down or consumption would be flat. Well, when we look at the consumption data that USDA released yesterday, it is really outstanding as we saw the average American consumed three more pounds of dairy products across all segments in 2020."
Dairy is Delivering
USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) shows in 2020, the average American consumed 655 pounds of dairy products, which is 3 pounds more than the previous year. And the added consumption isn't coming from traditional fluid milk sales, but products like yogurt, butter and ice cream.
To view the complete report, click here.
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