The Wave Of The Future

First of all, let me warn you: I’m a big believer in progressive ideas paving the way to the future.

I believe strongly in the promise of technology and I believe that the world — and the corresponding dairy industry — is changing rapidly, and those who succeed had better jump on board or be left behind.

This month’s story on ESL technology is a prime example. How much longer can the dairy industry afford to produce milk that must be shipped and stored refrigerated? How much longer can consumers afford to pay for this luxury?

I believe milk processed at higher temperatures, aseptically packaged and held at ambient temperatures is the wave of the future. In five years, the energy needed to ship and store refrigerated milk beverages might make them too costly.

Given that experts claim the taste of chilled-down aseptic milk is indistinguishable from a fresh, refrigerated milk product, I imagine that consumers will soon be choosing aseptic products for their convenience and price. This seems particularly likely as consumers are embracing flavored milks, a means by which some taste hurdles of aseptic milk are overcome.

Consider the success of Horizon Organic aseptic milks, popular with retailers because of cost and storage advantages. And, market research shows when natural and organic consumers learned the advantages of Horizon aseptic milks, they exhibited more frequent purchasing and a willingness to pay higher prices.

But before aseptic becomes the standard, we should have recycling facilities nationwide equipped to handle aseptic packages.

Maybe the nation will be spurred to offer such recycling as more products are processed aseptically. That’s my hope for our future.

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