Dairy farmers on a mission to promote health benefits of milk

Dairy farmers who are frustrated with how milk is marketed in the UK have set up a new group to promote the health benefits of drinking the white stuff.

The Mission 4 Milk campaign launched on Friday (22 February) and it aims to communicate the health benefits of milk to people of all ages, arming them with valuable information before choosing to cut dairy out of their diets.

Dairy farmer and marketing consultant Andy Venables, who heads up the video, says more must be done to spread the message about the benefits of drinking milk in a balanced diet.

See also: Branded milk could offer brighter future for dairy industry

He said: “We’ve set up this campaign because we’re so frustrated with how poorly milk has been marketed for years.

“Milk is such a great, nutritious product, full of calcium, protein, B vitamins and iodine. Great for teenagers, kids, adults and the elderly. Yet very few people are aware of the health benefits of milk.”

Milk packaging and branding has changed very little over the past 20 years, while new brands releasing plant-based alternatives, such as soy and almond, clearly display the nutritional benefits of their products on their cartons, along with attractive branding.

For this reason, many people are unaware that cow’s milk offers more nutritional value than many of its dairy-free counterparts and are choosing to leave their pint of cow’s milk on the shelf, Mr Venables said.

As part of the campaign, the #Milk4Mission team is urging people to take part in the #MilkPintChallenge, which involves downing a pint of milk, or simply posting a selfie pic on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, holding a glass or pint of traditional cow’s milk and share it to @Mission4Milk.

Supporters are urged to nominate friends and work colleagues to do the same.

The obvious choice for my post run recovery drink is #Milk – excellent rehydration & nutrition! #Februdairy #mission4milk pic.twitter.com/cIuTgAYj9T

— Becki Reay (@leach_becki) February 22, 2019

At the British Cattle Breeders Conference in January Mr Venables spoke of his frustration over how milk is currently marketed in the UK.

The dairy farmer, who milks 300 cows on his family farm in Cheshire, likened the way milk is currently being marketed to Brexit – a “complete mess”.

Februdairy campaign

The launch of the Mission 4 Milk campaign comes in the final week of Februdairy, a month-long social media campaign to promote all things dairy.

The future of British milk is uncertain as the popularity of cow’s milk has been declining in favour of plant-based alternatives such as soy and almond milk.

According to Jamie Oliver’s Channel 4 documentary, sales of plant-based alternatives to milk have doubled in the last five years, meanwhile consumption of dairy in the UK has fallen by 20% over the past 30 years.