Goodbye to fresh milk in 2023?The first companies are betting everything on long-life products:because drought is also involved

Behind the choice are too much waste in shops and the current environmental impact in the supply chain

The eating habits of Italian families are changing and so are the choices of companies.Fresh milk could soon be replaced by long-life milk with an expiry date of ten days, following too much waste in stores and in distribution and due to the environmental impact.The first company to initiate this change was Granarolo.«It's the market he chose», declares the president of the Bolognese cooperative, Gianpiero Calzolari.«The rules on fresh milk are inadequate, we have unsuccessfully asked to change them.But the market – he adds – is more intelligent and has adapted on its own.Consumers are increasingly choosing foods with a longer shelf life, because they no longer shop as frequently as before.And then there is a theme of sustainability, throwing away a liter of milk is a crime."For these reasons, the company is considering replacing fresh milk with a pasteurized product with a ten-day expiry date.Currently, Italian law sets a six days the maximum limit within which the fresh milk brand can be obtained.

The environmental impact

According to what the company says, the new milk was tested by some tasters who found no differences in terms of taste between the two products.And the nutritional values ​​have been maintained.Also considering the openness on the subject by large-scale retailers, it is assumed that the replacement will take place during 2023.It's not just a question of waste, but also of sustainability.«The new packaging has a better environmental impact, the cap reduces plastic 35% and it does not come off the bottle as the European Union requires", explains Calzolari, who reports that they have been trying to work for a lower environmental impact for some time.Furthermore, the increased drought in recent decades has led to increasingly negative repercussions on the development of the milk supply chain.«After last year's crisis – comments the president of Granarolo – we heard a lot of chatter, but there was no real initiative.Greater timeliness is needed:Drought is an emergency and must be treated as such."