What you need to know
Brazil's milk market has been highly affected by the truck drivers' strike in 2018. The strike, in addition to exposing the weaknesses of the sector, has pushed the prices up, with a significant increase in the months following the event. The growth forecast in terms of volume has also been affected, and should close the year stagnant.
Definition
According to Mintel Market Sizes, the milk market covers liquid, powdered, and flavored cow’s milk. It excludes condensed, evaporated, sour, and cultured milk. Market size is based on retail and direct sales to consumers.
Products that have been excluded from the market size are discussed in other sections of this Report.
Types of milk in Brazil
There are three different types of liquid milk in Brazil: UHT (ultra-high temperature), pasteurized, and pasteurized type A (production of type B stopped in 2011).
Pasteurized milk: subjected to a thermal shock process with temperatures of about 72°C to kill bacteria. The expiry date is shorter than UHT milk and should be kept in the refrigerator.
Pasteurized milk type A: goes through the same thermal treatment as regular pasteurized milk, but it needs to meet required standards and processing to minimize contamination, assuring a high-quality milk. For example, the milk should be extracted mechanically, refrigerated immediately afterward, and pasteurized in the same farm. In that way, consumers know where and how the milk is produced.
UHT milk: UHT stands for ultra-high temperature, also known in Brazil as leite longa vida (“long life milk”). This type of milk is submitted to a thermal shock process with a temperature of about 140ºC, reducing the possibility of proliferation of microorganisms in the milk, compared with regular pasteurized milk. Therefore, it can be stored at room temperatures and has a greater shelf life than pasteurized milk.
