Are consumers ready to consider 1% fat milk?

Dr Clair Baynton, head of nutrition at the FSA, said: "In the 1970s full-fat milk was very much the norm, but since then we have seen a decisive shift to semi-skimmed, which now outsells full-fat by quite a margin. "Our research shows that people are prepared to consider switching to 1% fat milk and those who regularly use semi-skimmed like the taste as much. We tend to use milk on a daily basis so this small step will make a big contribution to reducing our saturated fat." Whole milk is, on average, 3.5% fat, while semi-skimmed is about 1.7% and skimmed is 0.1% fat. 1% fat milk is suitable for adults and children from five years of age. The UK-wide survey of consumer attitudes to 1% fat milk found that three-quarters of consumers liked the taste just as much as semi-skimmed. The research involved an at-home trial period (about five days) with households substituting semi-skimmed for 1% fat milk. It found that while 56% were able to taste a difference, 94% or more found it to be an acceptable alternative across a range of uses, including in hot drinks, on cereal, as a drink on its own, in milkshakes and in cooking. And 85% of those who gave it to their children said they did not notice the switch when given the lower-fat milk.