Butter turns luxury item in the gondola

Is visible in the refrigerated shelves of supermarkets. In recent months, the tablets and pots of butter that vie for space with the margarine have become luxury item. Not only because they are much more expensive, but also because this smallest product offering can be explained by a number of factors, but the most important one is the lack of fat in the country for the manufacture of butter, according to industries and dairy sector analysts. In this scenario, butter prices negotiated between companies soared 27% (already in deflated values) in 12 months. In retail, the high was 19% in the period (see infographic).
The raw material for the production of butter is the fat in the milk. When the milk is taken from the cow has, in General, a 3.5% fat content. The production of skimmed milk generates a surplus of fat, which is used for the manufacture of butter, sour cream, cottage cheese and cream cheese. Even the long-life milk full production generates fat, since there is a standardization of the product, which is with fat content of 3%, says Valter Galan, MilkPoint, specialist consultancy specialising in the dairy market.
However, the country produces small volumes of skimmed milk. "Here in Brazil, 75% of the milk [long life] consumed is integral," says William Paul, Director of institutional relations for Lactalis in Brazil. In the country, the French company manufactures the Batavo brand butter and Elect. As the production of skimmed milk is small, the offer of fat for the manufacture of butter and other items is restricted.
In addition, the Country is producing less skimmed-milk powder, which is a "great source of fat," says Ricardo Cotta, Director of institutional relations and new business of Itambé.
Gustavo Beduschi, technical advisor of the Alive, Dairy companies in the sector, States that there is a dispute over the fat dairy industries for the production of different items, but the offer didn''t grow fat, hence the current frame. The fact that milk production have fallen in the past two years in the country may also have aggravated the situation. "There is a demand for much higher fat than if you can supply," he says.
The increased demand for butter is also one of the reasons cited by analysts and industry to offer more restricted. According to Galan, as well as in Europe and the USA, in the last three years, has been in Brazil a migration of vegetable fats to milk fats. This stems from the change of perception with respect to the effects of butter for health. "The demand is greater because the idea that the butter would hurt health is being Demystified," Cotta, of Itambé. "Until about three years ago, the butter was a villain. But there has been a change in the pattern of consumption, "agrees Paul, for Lactalis.
Data from market research firm Kantar WorldPanel: consumer show that in 2016, butter consumption grew 1 percent to 29,978 tons, a R$ market 721,581,000. Kantar''s research is carried out on a sample of 11,300 homes, which represent a universe of 52 million households, accounting for 91% of the consumption potential of the country. Between 2014 and 2015, butter consumption had risen 5.4 percent.
Danielle Rossi, the account manager Kantar Worldpanel: consumer, claims that the "weaker" growth in consumption than seen in previous years-when changed the perception about the effect of butter for health-is a reflection of the recession in the country, which leads consumers to migrate to lower-value products. In the case of butter, the Chief surrogate is margarine.
Euromonitor consulting, data relating to sales of butter in retail in the country, show a volume of 77700 tonnes in 2016, just under 77900 tons of 2015.
Both Itambé as for Lactalis report that could be producing more butter than they do currently if there was raw material because there is demand, despite higher prices. "What we produce, we''re selling," said Chowdury. William Paul, for Lactalis, says the company came to produce more skimmed-milk powder to be able to generate fat for butter production. "We have more demand than we can produce," adds the Executive.
Beduschi and Galan remember that the recession has also led to a reduction of consumption outside the home, spurring many people to Cook, demanding more butter, the hardest to find.