Real milk takes the spotlight on World Milk Day, always on June 1. The day is intended to bring attention to activities connecting the dairy sector.
The annual observance is marked with events across the globe: milking demonstrations and farm visits; games and competitions; concerts; distribution of milk products; and conferences, seminars, and information sharing.
- The dairy sector supports more than one billion people’s livelihoods.
- More than six billion people globally consume dairy products, making it a $413.8 billion market.
China is the fastest-growing dairy market. Europe, the United States, New Zealand, Australia, and Argentina are the primary dairy-producing countries.
However, drinking milk in the U.S. has been on the decline since about 2000. In the 1980s, more than 50 percent of the dairy products regulated by the USDA were beverage milk. By 2015, that had dropped to 33 percent. Prompting the downward trend, according to market watchers, is the annual decline in the market consumption of ready-to-eat cereals. (source: American Farm Bureau)
In 2001, the United Nations selected June 1st as World Milk Day to celebrate the essential contributions of the dairy sector to sustainability, economic development, livelihoods, and nutrition.
