We produce about 12,6 million tons, covering self-supply for about 90% of national needs. World Milk Day which is celebrated on June 4,5 marks a positive balance for Italy in terms of production, with an increase of 80 percent over the past year. Approximately 44% of cow's milk production in Italy is concentrated in the four regions (Lombardy 16%, Emilia-Romagna 10%, Veneto 9% and Piedmont 20%) and the annual expenditure of households for dairy products is about XNUMX billion euros.
World Milk Day also coincides with the return of the cappuccino ritual to the counter in the 150 bars present throughout the peninsula with the easing of the restrictions due to the Covid emergency.
A new opportunity for Italians and tourists who are among the most enthusiastic consumers of the national specialty at all hours of the day during the holidays. The high-quality whole fresh milk, steamed to create the traditional creamy foam that leaves a white mustache under the nose, with the possibility of creating real artistic creations, is the main basis for an Italian cappuccino that is experiencing a real global boom in the wake of the expansion of large coffee chains such as Starbucks from the United States to Great Britain where the Italian breakfast is gaining ground. In fact, during 2021 - says Massimiliano Giansanti, president of Confagricoltura - coffee consumption in the United Kingdom will reach 91,1 thousand tons, overtaking tea under the impetus of the cappuccino boom which is changing the traditional tea, eggs and bacon. Initially the cappuccino was a drink consumed mainly at breakfast but in North America and in many European countries such as Germany, Holland, Belgium and the United Kingdom the habit of consuming cappuccino after meals and at other times has also spread of the day.
But it's not just roses for this precious food rich in calcium and vitamin D (essential for the formation of bones and teeth), in group B and A vitamins which contains all the amino acids our body needs to stay healthy, which man, unlike animals, is the only one to feed on it throughout the course of his life because it has always been considered the only food so complete as to contain all the nutrients necessary from the first phase of growth and later in development and in everyday life capable of ensuring excellent nutritional values which are measured in the "biological value" of foods, i.e. their degree of assimilation by the body.
However, generally the enzyme that allows you to digest milk, lactase, decreases with age and in some cases disappears making the food indigestible.
For some time now – the problem arises cyclically – some media campaigns, which promote the consumption of vegetable proteins instead of animal ones, have ended up penalizing milk and the entire sector.
“Cow's, goat's or sheep's milk – says Giansanti – has been part of the human diet for thousands of years, to the point that the genome has changed to allow the production of the enzyme responsible for breaking down lactose, the sugar of the milk. The line of thought that deems it appropriate to ban dairy products from the diet is based on the China Study, an epidemiological survey carried out since 1983 in China, the results of which have been deemed unreliable by the scientific community and by the Airc, the Association for cancer research. –
A big fake that can be found on the net - reads a note from Conagricoltura - is that polluting substances and hormones are ingested with milk, while milk, yoghurt, cheese and butter are absolutely safe and healthy because they are subject to strict controls and the use of hormones is prohibited in Italy and throughout Europe. Just as the information that the consumption of milk increases the risk of osteoporosis by "stealing" calcium from the skeleton is equally false. In fact, dairy products are a privileged source of calcium, both for the considerable quantity present and, above all, for its " bioavailability". The forgers of information – concludes Coldiretti – then argue that milk is the enemy of the heart and arteries, while its consumption has a positive effect on hypertension and diabetes”.
Italian animal husbandry, increasingly performing and attentive to animal welfare, remains one of the cornerstones of the agri-food sector and of the Italian economy. But The sector, however, is going through a difficult economic phase determined by the increase in the cost of raw materials intended for feeding livestock. For this reason, Confagricoltura has proposed urgent interventions to support the liquidity of companies, but also the launch of a plan to increase domestic production of cereals and vegetable proteins.
According to the Organization, greater national coordination would also be desirable, both within the supply chain and with the institutions; targeted promotional campaigns and research incentives on the use of milk components in the nutritional, pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields, to open up new market outlets.
