Milk Sales at Lowest Level in 30 Years :)

Sales of milk as a beverage have fallen to the lowest level in nearly 30 years - with more than half of U.S. adults no longer consuming it. While Americans consume about the same number of gallons of beverages as they did in the past, they're drinking a lot less milk. Milk has lost out to other beverages, primarily bottled waters, teas, and energy drinks.

Not giving up, the dairy industry has chosen "breakfast-at-home" as one of its battlegrounds for increasing milk sales. Americans still drink more milk at the breakfast table than during any other time. Consumption of chocolate milk as a sports recovery drink is another area the industry is promoting. 

According to Tom Gallagher, CEO of Dairy Management Inc., a national organization that promotes dairy products and is funded by dairy farmers, "If we don't see fundamental changes in the milk business, and I don't mean incremental changes, then milk is going to become an irrelevant beverage at some point".

However, it may be too much for the industry to halt the trend of fallen sales of milk as a beverage, especially with people trying to reduce the calories they consume and the fat in their diet. Fearful of antibiotics and synthetic hormones used in the dairy industry, many people have simply stopped drinking milk.

In addition, experts admit that dairy-free diets are a long-term trend rather than a fad.

Bonnie: I have waited a long, long time for as this data to appear in print.