Current Dairy Trends

Food trends occur very often throughout history. For example, in the early 1900’s, the kiwi fruit, generally known in the United States as kiwis, were first introduced to Europe and America and became extremely popular. Farmers began cultivating them and they became a food trend. Dairy experiences these types of trends as well.

Dairy as a food group has experienced many trends, including differing levels of popularity for various methods of pasteurization over time, and the recent popularity of organic dairy products. Some of these trends are motivated by new and emerging technologies in the food industry.

Ultra Pasteurized Milk

Ultra pasteurized milk is milk which has been heated to at least 280 degrees Fahrenheit for a minimum of two seconds. This ultra high temperature kills most of the bacteria present in milk, which has the effect of extending the shelf life of the milk.

Ultra pasteurized milk is sometimes thought to taste different than regularly pasteurized milk, due to the extremely high temperature at which it is heated to. Some people describe the flavor of ultra pasteurized milk as “cooked”. Generally ultra pasteurized milk should be kept refrigerated after opening, with the exception of ultra pasteurized non refrigerated milk.

Non Refrigerated Milk

Non refrigerated milk is milk which undergone ultra pasteurization and then been packaged quickly in a vacuum-packed fashion. Non refrigerated milk is relatively common in Europe, Japan and other parts of the world for years.  Non-refrigerated ultra pasteurized milk is sometimes known as UHT (ultra-high temperature).

Non refrigerated milk is a convenient dairy product to take camping, to drink when travelling, or to sell in areas where refrigeration is difficult or impossible. While non refrigerated milk has not been popular in the United States yet, it is, according to some online news sites, gaining popularity.

Organic Milk and Dairy Products

Organic milk and organic foods in general have experienced a large increase in popularity in the United States and Europe in the past decade. The National Organic Program (NOP) regulates the standards for selling organically produced agricultural products, including organic dairy products. The National Organic Program provides a list of USDA certified organic operations here, on their website.

Milk in Schools

Schools which participate in the National School Lunch Program must serve milk with their lunches to receive certain monetary subsidies. Milk consumption is generally high in elementary schools, though it drops of in middle and high schools when students turn to sugary sodas or juices. One recent dairy trend has been selling different flavors (such as chocolate, strawberry or mocha) of milk beverages in vending machines, which have been popular.