When the production of a certain important item in daily life drops, it is logical that voices of
dissatisfied consumers
are heard .
This was not happening with milk, a basic food whose year-on-year consumption
fell 15% in January
, as a result of inflation and the collapse of purchasing power, the Observatory of the Argentine Dairy Chain (OCLA) estimated.
The milk phenomenon is special for at least two reasons.
First of all, it is an item incomparable in importance to, for example, the production of cookies.
Fernando Burgos, pediatrician, president of the Media and Communication subcommittee of the Argentine Society of Pediatrics (SAP), recalled it: “Milk contains
lactose
, a primary sugar for the development of neurons;
proteins essential for metabolism and avoiding anemia;
and also calcium, key for bone growth.”
Due to the increase in prices, many people had to give up the consumption of “
pasteurized milks
and those with pre- and probiotics, which have superior formulas,” he added.
To put it in figures, this increase, in January, was slightly (five percentage points) above the interannual inflation.
The sachet that Indec measures went from 240 to 865 pesos, average,
259% increase
, when the real salary, at least in December, had recovered only 150%.
The second distinctive issue about milk is that, while accessory items - such as mouthwash - adjust their production to demand (that is, if people buy less because they do not have money, the production rate will slow down), milk maintains a quite different logic.
And the thing is that
“cows don't have a tap
,” they graphed from the OCLA, noting that the supply, in liters, usually has some stability, without taking into account the logical fluctuations of the annual cycle of the cows, which have their maximum productive peak in October and its lowest point, in April.
The issue, to summarize, is this: January data show a
silent but alarming year-on-year drop in milk
production of
12.6%
, when the usual fluctuation at this time of year is 9% to 10%.
And another factor was added that also reduced liters of milk on the shelves: a
10% increase in
milk exports.
Now, has anyone heard consumers protesting about shortages?
From the OCLA they explained that, in the context of the generalized reduction in consumption, thousands of Argentine households
gave up their usual consumption of milk at some point
.
Less was produced, but no one noticed due to low demand.
Milk figures under the magnifying glass
The lower milk production in January (a recent OCLA report clarifies) was due to high temperatures, an issue that directly affects the animals (they produce less), and added to this were “the adverse price
and cost relationships
that increased due to the effect devaluation and inflationary” in the sector.
Anyway, you can look at the OCLA figures and see that
12.6% is the deepest year-on-year drop
in milk production recorded in the last four years, but the sales figures (only available until December 2023) are also clear. of fluid milk collected by the National Dairy Directorate of the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries dependent on the Ministry of Economy.
"Cows don't have a tap," say dairy farmers.
Photo: iStock.
The two measurements show the worst side of the deep economic crisis, added to the effects of the lack of salary stimulation.
Households that either "stretch" the duration of the sachet or, as the OCLA also pointed out,
resign themselves to lower quality dairy products
, something that - they pointed out - "is not new, it is growing and is difficult to measure."
We are talking about products of questionable quality and neighborhood businesses that produce, for example, cheeses adulterated with gelling agents and cornstarch, based on whey.
The strategy of
"putting things in to reduce costs"
(says a source from OCLA) has also been used by
some leading brands
.
They're not toxic, of course, but they don't really have milk either.
A source in the sector who spoke with this reporter some time ago called the cheeses "with things" “disciplined cheeses”: they never melt.
Milk, first and foremost
In Argentina, 190 liters of dairy are consumed
per inhabitant
per year.
It is a high consumption compared to other regional peers (except Uruguay), but it is mainly composed of cheese (14 kilos per inhabitant, or about 140 liters of milk) and to a lesser extent, milk: less than 50 liters per year, a figure small compared to the 120 liters of an average American.
One of the voices concerned about the dramatic drop in the nutritional quality of food (especially, of almost 60% of the population below the poverty line) is Sergio Britos, director of the Center for Food Policies and Economics (CEPEA). .
"The dairy deficit is one of the characteristics of the local food problem," says Sergio Britos.
Photo: iStock.
“After legumes, vegetables and fruits, the
dairy deficit
is one of the characteristics of the local food problem, particularly in the wide range of poor households and children.
That consumption of plant foods and dairy products continues to decline, in an already deficient scenario, is a
very bad nutritional sign
," he said.
According to him, “the consumption of milk and yogurt (especially in children over one year old, for milk, and from 6 months, for yogurt) is good advice, not only because of its known nutritional profile in calcium, proteins and some vitamins but because there is growing scientific evidence that associates their consumption with the
prevention of obesity
, a better quality of diet and, in the case of yogurt, with a greater quality and diversity of the intestinal microbiota and its multiple functions.
While the sachet of milk is getting closer to costing one dollar (recovering what many consider to be the historical price), the OCLA were optimistic: the price correction was necessary and the market is rearranging itself, they said.
Thus, they believe, when
purchasing power
recovers (“something that must happen no matter what, if the Government intends to have continuity”), milk consumption should rise again.
If so, in December, to propose a possible deadline, 971 million liters of milk should be sold again and not 836 million, as two months ago.
We will have to see it.
P.S.