Belgians spent €3.2 billion on dairy products in 2022, marking a new record which is greater than the previous record of €3.1 billion from 2020. Why are Belgians spending so much on dairy?
According to research conducted by iVOX and GfK Belgium, 85% of Belgians consider dairy to be a part of Belgium's food culture.
The average spending on dairy products in Belgium has risen drastically since 2019, partly due to the Covid-19 crisis. This year, the increase is mainly a result of inflation and higher prices which have risen by 20%.
Total dairy spending was 4% higher than in 2021 and 12% higher than in 2019.
On average, 81% of Belgians consume dairy on a daily basis and only 1% of Belgians said they do not consume any dairy in 2022. The most popular dairy product is milk.
Industry experts believe that national spending on dairy products is set to increase. In December 2022, as many as 55 million litres of milk were produced.
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The major part of it (30.9 million litres, or 56.2%) was semi-skimmed milk. Whole milk represented 35.6% of total production, skimmed milk 6% and buttermilk 2.2%.
In addition, 14.1 million litres of milk drinks and chocolate milk were produced, as well as 19.3 million litres of cream, 24.4 million litres of fermented milk and yoghurt, 10,226 tonnes of cheese and 6,073 tonnes of butter. (farm butter and blended butter).
