Dairy Products
At a crossroads of cultural and climatic influences, France has an incredible diversity of landscapes and vegetations that are all reflected in the diversity of its dairy products. Well known for its luxurious cheese board, the French dairy industry, innovative yet well established, is also the first European producer for whole, skimmed and powdered milk.
France is the first supplier of cheese to the United Kingdom
A European and Global Leader
- The second European milk producer
- 700 dairies and 3 milk companies amongst them the 15 world leaders
- Products worth more than 5 billion euros were exported in 2007 (+13% / 2006)
A Growing Presence
276,118 tons of French dairy products were imported into Great Britain in 2007, an increase of 8.6% in comparison with the previous year. This maintains France’s place as the fourth largest exporter to the UK for dairy produce and the first exporter of cheese into the UK. The largest cheese-makers: Lactalis, Bongrain, BEL, Entremont, Triballat Rians and Eurilait have a strong presence in the UK. Across their respective brands they offer a large portfolio of quality products.
Notably in 2008, in the UK the capacity of the market for dairy products grew by £2 billion. The market share for cheese imports and butter grew to 22.4% (£464 million) (TNS 52 weeks 18th May 2008). And according to estimates by 2012 the cheese market will grow by a further 13% in value.
A Wide Range of Products
French dairy businesses have a significant number of products suitable for wide distribution including: milk, cream, butter, fresh milk products, milk-based desserts, plus milk composites such as powder, protein and rennet which come from milk and lactoserum and are used because of the nutritional properties, in: baby milk, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
But with more than 1,000 different varieties, from the mildest to the strongest, each region, or even each town and village in France is the proud possessor of its own cheese. A supple Camembert, a powerful Pont-l’Evêque, a mild Saint-Nectaire, a fruity Beaufort or a fresh goat’s cheese and many, many more there’s a cheese for everyone’s mood taste and budget!
Innovation at the Heart of the Industry
So the dairy trade can keep its place as the second most significant producer of farm products, dairy businesses must not only co-operate, but must also be very aware of consumer demands. Expectations over quality, taste and nutrition, variety and availability, use and practicality of products, must be met. To meet these demands in 2007, 184 new milk based products were launched in France.
Although new technologies are always useful everywhere, French producers are conscious that they must maintain their craftsmanship. A number of cheeses have an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC), which guarantees consumers a product which meets regulations and in particular their region of origin.
Security Above All
In the last 30 years the quality of French milk products has reached a level of excellence that is credit to both state-of-the-art machinery and to the professionalism of the cheese-makers. From the farm to the maturation rooms quality and cleanliness is at its highest. Milk and milk products are governed by the strictest legislation. You can find information concerning hygiene practices at all points of production on the site www.frenchfoodsafety.com
Sources : The Grocer Dairyman 08, French Customs.
To find out more visit :
All about French cheeses : frencheese.co.uk