Gone are those times when a milkman would deliver fresh milk to every household. Nowadays, consumers purchase packaged milk from supermarkets and stores. Milk is used to make yogurt, cheese, butter, chocolates, ice cream, gelato etc. It is rich in proteins and contains calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and also contains casein which contains the amino acids that are essential for the human health and act like repairing agents. Milk also contains vitamin B2 which helps promote healthy skin as well as vitamins A and D. It can be sourced from cows, buffalos, goats, sheep’s, camels and yak.

There are mainly three types of milk namely – whole milk ( high fat content), low fat milk and skimmed milk (least amount of fat content). Lately there are other variants entering the industry such as soybean, rice, almond and coconut milks. United dairy, Pioneer diary, Mother dairy, Swiss dairy, Dannon, Conagra, Mayfield dairy, Vermont dairy, Amul etc are some of the players in the industry.

Majority of the UK milk is purchased by just a mere 5 % of the processors in the UK. The overall production of raw milk in the UK is over 12 billion litres annually. U.S, Finland, Greece, Albania, Denmark, Australia, Spain, Canada, Ireland, Romania etc are just some of the major consumers of milk and its related products around the globe. Liquid milk is now being replaced by powdered milk which has a far longer shelf life and can be preserved for a longer period of time. Nido and Dutch lady are few of the main players in this segment. India, China, Europe, New Zealand, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina are few of the major production hubs for milk and its related products. This industry is one of the largest industries in India right next to the agriculture industry.

The controversy surrounding the market is the fact that many believe that men who drink a large quantities of milk were more prone to developing Parkinson’s disease. Lately the price for milk and its related products have increased considerably due the high feed prices and the warm weather. Also the drought conditions have reduced the output of soybean thus raising the prices for soybean milk. This industry is a highly volatile industry. The small retailers to keep up with the big players in the industry have started to improve their service levels and consumer orientation so as to attract more audience base.