RI's milk consumption among the lowest in the world
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
reached 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 1400 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 1800
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.