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“More for less: Enhancing value and efficiency in dairy” was the theme of the South African Society of Dairy Technology’s 2025 Symposium at the Piekenierskloof Mountain Resort near Citrusdal in the Western Cape.
Christine Leighton, president of the SA Society of Dairy Technology (SASDT), said the symposium focusses on exploring innovation in dairy production and tackle timely topics such as the future of dairy innovation, and overcoming production and processing challenges in the face of limited global resources. Experts present advancements in value engineering, membrane technologies, and environmental monitoring. The programme also delves into the role of fermented dairy in gut health and microbiome wellness, bio-solutions, and innovative and sustainable packaging.
She said trust in the dairy sector and its products are becoming increasingly important. While dairy is a natural product, the sector must continue to act responsibly, upholding food safety, promoting sustainable practices, and consistently delivering high quality products. The sector must continue to address concerns around animal welfare with transparency and care.
Opportunities for product development
“As we look to the future, the ageing population and its dietary needs bring a significant opportunity for product development. At the same time, we must not overlook the younger generations. Innovation and the deduction of new technologies go hand in hand with nutrition responsibilities across all life stages. Nutrition must be central to how we innovate and communicate value,” said Leighton.
The global population is expected to reach 10 billion in 2050. Currently 1 billion people are malnourished. One in four suffers from protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). “Dairy could be part of the solution as it is a powerful and affordable source of nutrition providing essential amino acids, minerals, and vitamins key to building a healthy, affordable diet lifting people out of poverty”, Leighton said.
Read the latest Dairy Digits report here.
Economic growth pressure demand
According to Alwyn Kraamwinkel, CEO of the South African Milk Processors’ Organisation (Sampro), the future growth of demand for consumer goods, including dairy products, are hugely dependant on the level of economic growth in South Africa. Optimistic expectations about consumer demands in 2025 is not supported by the extremely high uncertainty in the world and the very high uncertainty in South Africa, as well as the expected low increase in GDP in 2025.
Higher sales quantities of dairy products were achieved at the expense of price. The higher supply of dairy products in 2024 created amidst very low economic growth, put downward pressure on prices. The retail prices of four of the nine dairy products decreased in 2024, and in the quarter which ended in December 2024, the retail prices of five of the nine dairy products decreased, Kraamwinkel said.
Consumer-drive innovation
What the consumer wants is the single most important driver of innovation across the dairy industry, said Karin Carstensen, scientific and regulatory affairs manager at Woolworths Foods. “We are living in a world where the consumer is looking for easy solutions that fit their lifestyles. Whether it is lactose-free, less sugar or high protein, it always goes back to the consumer and their demands.”
Neels Poerstamper, an independent consultant in the dairy industry, said ingredient technology plays a critical role in product innovation, enabling the creation of new products with enhanced flavours, texture and nutritional profiles, while also addressing the matter of sustainability. Future advancements include the fermentation of dairy proteins, plant-based alternatives, and hybrid products that combine dairy and plant-based ingredients.
Robert Sudell, dairy operations manager of Rhodes Food Group, said from a manufacturing viewpoint the accuracy of new equipment is key to innovation in the processing plant. The processing technology, and the accuracy and the ability of equipment custom-made for a specific process, support and optimise the process to get to a quality end product.
Dairy can recover 80% of wastewater
According to Carsten Orzol, owner of Memcon, South Africa has a huge challenge with regard to the disposal of wastewater. “In the dairy industry you can treat your wastewater and recover 80% of the wastewater as fresh water. We are at a point where treating wastewater might actually be cheaper than the current price of fresh water,” Orzol said. – Hugo Lochner, Plaas Media
