Fonterra tests out flavoured milk for Asian market

NEW YORK - Fonterra is experimenting with rose, green tea, ginger and honey-flavoured milk to promote consumption by Asians, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Asians, excluding Japanese, consume only 4.9 litres of milk each a year, less than almost anywhere else in the world, it says. That compares with 91 litres per capita in North America and 30 litres in Latin America.

As the number of middle-class people has increased, so has consumption of dairy products. Total milk sales in Asia-Pacific rose to US$14.7 billion ($21.19 billion) last year from US$12 billion in 2001, says Euromonitor, a market research firm. Sales in the United States have risen 2 per cent annually and worldwide sales in the US$35 billion dairy market by 4 per cent.

Fonterra, which sells yoghurt, cheese, spreads and food supplements in 140 countries under the Anchor, Fernleaf, Anlene and Soprole brands, is owned by the 12,000 farmers who supply its milk.

- BLOOMBERG