Consumers turning to dairy in pandemic Print 16th February 2021 The consumption of dairy products has boomed during the pandemic with experts cautiously optimistic about the future of the UK dairy market. Jonathan Dixon, vice-president of foodservice at Arla Food, told the Dairy-Tech Online event that dairy has increased because of consumers looking after themselves more during lockdown and spending increasing time at home. Dixon added: “Cheese consumption has risen by 15.7% with more people eating cheese at lunch. Yoghurt sales have risen by 4.1% and butter by 16.1%, particularly block butter sales, due to more people home baking.” Rob Hutchinson, operations director for Muller, said the company had seen strong retail sales during the pandemic. “Cereal consumption is up 8%, which is good for milk sales. The challenge now is to maintain the level of consumption as we come out of lockdown.”