DAIRY
PRODUCTS
PITSINEE JITPLEECHEEP
Leading dairy-product manufacturers called on the
government to launch a national campaign to help restore
consumer confidence in dairy products after the tainted milk
scandal in China.
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Paisal
Chongbanyatcharoen (second from left), vice-chairman
of the Thai Dairy Industries Association and
president of CP-Meiji, joins Somsak Chayapong (third
from right), country head of F&N Dairies (Thailand),
Amnuay Thongkok (second from right), president of
Wangnamyen Dairy Co-operative and other dairy
executives in drinking milk to assure consumers that
their products are safe. SOMCHAI POOMLARD |
Paisal Chongbanyatcharoen, president of
CP-Meiji Co and vice-chairman of the Thai Dairy Industries
Association (TDIA), said that since the melamine
contamination issue erupted, Thai consumers were very
confused and less confident about buying milk and other
dairy products.
"Ready-to-drink milk demand in the Thai
market went down by 5% during the past few weeks. We are not
sure whether it stemmed from the melamine contamination
issue, floods or the vegetarian festival. But we want the
government to assure consumers that the dairy products
available in the market are safe to consume," he said.
Currently, consumption of all milk
products except milk powder in Thailand is estimated to be
worth 50 billion baht a year. Per-capita consumption is only
15 litres per year when compared to over 100 litres in Japan
and 92 litres in the United States.
"If consumers are not confident to drink
milk, how can we expand the market and encourage higher
consumption? A campaign on product safety will be more
effective and convincing coming from the government than the
private sector," Mr Paisal said.
Milk consumption locally has potential to
increase steadily in the future if the government helps
promote milk-drinking and assure product safety, Mr Paisal
said. He expects the overall market value will reach 100
billion baht over the next five years.
Yesterday, the TDIA, led by six key
manufacturers, came out to assure consumers that their
products were totally safe and did not contain milk powder
imported from China. They said that they have used local raw
milk and imported milk powder from Australia, New Zealand,
the US and Europe.
The six manufacturers are CP-Meiji (Meiji
brand), AB Food & Beverages (Ovaltine), F&N Dairies (Thailand)
(Tea Pot and Bear brands), Wangnamyen Dairy Co-operative (Wangnamyen
brand), Nongpho Dairy Co-operative in Ratchaburi (Nongpho)
and Foremost.
Amnuay Thongkok, a TDIA member and
chairman of the Wangnamyen Dairy Co-operative, said the
association would submit a letter to Public Health Minister
Chalerm Yubamrung this week to inform him that all dairy
products from the six producers were safe.
"We want the Food and Drug Administration
to inspect products more seriously. If it finds some
products tainted with melamine, their producers and
importers must take responsibility," Mr Amnuay said.
Mr Paisal forecast that local demand for
ready-to-drink milk would grow by 13-14% this year from 35
billion baht last year.
CP-Meiji will raise its marketing budget
by 10% from 100 million baht to spend on its consumer safety
programme soon.
