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RI's milk consumption among the lowest in the world

Nutritionists tell us that drinking fresh liquid white milk each day can help prevent diseases such as osteoporosis, hypertension and colon cancer.

Making it a habit to drink fresh liquid white milk each day, certainly can be a long-term health investment. But not for most Indonesians. The awareness of the importance of milk on their health is still very low, as indicated by the low level of liquid white milk consumption in the country.

According to a survey carried out by global research company Canadean, liquid white milk consumption in Indonesia is still far below those of other Asian countries despite its large population.

In absolute terms, white milk consumption in Indonesia only 345 million liters in 2004, only slightly above the 99 million liters in Vietnam, with a third of the population. But compared to Asian countries with a large population base such as India and China, Indonesia is far behind.

"Extensive research has shown beyond doubt that drinking fresh liquid white milk every day can help prevent diseases such as osteoporosis, hypertension and colon cancer. In Indonesia, however, this habit has not really caught on and most Indonesians stop drinking milk when they enter adulthood," Samudera Prawirawidjaya, a director of Ultrajaya, said.

Interestingly, Indonesia's milk drinking pattern goes against the global norm where fresh liquid white milk is the preferred choice. The liquid white milk accounted for less than 17.9 percent of Indonesia's total white milk consumption here.

In developed countries, practically all the milk consumed is fresh, white liquid milk, reflecting consumers' overwhelming preference for a product that retains its natural nutrients and taste.

Even in countries that have only recently become milk consuming nations, such as Thailand, more than 88 percent of the white milk consumed is fresh milk. Obviously, all over the world, fresh milk is considered the best form of milk with all the nutritional value so important to health.

One of the reasons for low fresh liquid white milk consumption in Indonesia is a lack of information explaining that not all milk on the market had the same nutritional quality.

According to Dr. Ali Khomsan, one of Indonesia's leading nutritionists, fresh milk retains all its natural vitamins, minerals, proteins and enzymes. "However, fresh liquid white milk can easily be contaminated by bacteria and therefore must be processed before consumption. There are, however, different forms of milk processing and this, in turn, affects the quality of the milk," he said.

Dr. Ali pointed out that from a nutritionist's perspective, all food products lose part of their nutritional value when processed. The longer the processing time and the higher the processing temperature, the greater the nutritional loss.

"Fresh milk is no exception," said Dr Ali. "And consumers should choose processed milk that retains the highest level of its original nutritional value," he said.

As the country's leading fresh milk manufacturer, Ultrajaya has established a long-term program to improve the people's awareness on the importance of milk to their health.

Recently the company launched a campaign addressing twin issues on low consumer awareness and low consumption on fresh milk in Indonesia.

Ultrajaya plans to tell consumers that they should not make compromises when it comes to their health. A cornerstone of the campaign is to educate consumers about the different methods of treating milk, including UHT milk, which is produced by heating milk to 140 degrees C for just four seconds. This simple, but advanced process kills all the dangerous bacteria in the milk and when packaged in a sterile, aseptic package, the milk needs no preservatives or refrigeration until the package is opened.

This technology -- called aseptic technology -- has been rated as "the most important innovation in food science technology over the last 50 years" by the U.S. Institute of Food Technologists. By comparison, other methods of treating milk involve long processing times, and temperatures as high as 180 degrees C.

"As the market leader and the pioneer of UHT technology in Indonesia, we do our best to provide consumers with the best products," said Prawirawidjaya. "With the use of UHT technology, Ultra Milk is as good as fresh liquid milk straight from the cow because there is virtually no loss of nutrients and the taste and appearance remains totally natural.

According to Prawirawidjaya, a common misperception that would be addressed through the Ultra Milk campaign concerned the issue of preservatives in UHT milk.

"Many people think that it is not possible to keep milk without using preservatives. This perception shows a lack of information about UHT, which is considered one of the most significant food processing technologies in recent years. In fact, with UHT technology -- as long as the seal is unopened -- Ultra Milk can be stored at room temperature for 10 months without the use of preservatives. This brings an enormous level of convenience and benefits to consumers," he said.