Milk Powder Market by Type and Application: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018 - 2025

According to this report titled,'Milk Powder Market by Type and Application: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018 - 2025,' the global milk powder market size was valued at $27,783.2 million in 2017, and is projected to reach $38,086.1 million by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 4.4% from 2018 to 2025. In 2017, the China milk powder market accounted for nearly 26% of the global milk powder industry.

Milk powder is obtained by dehydrating milk. The milk powder can be stored without substantial loss of quality due to a low water activity that hampers microbial metabolism, preferably for a significant amount of time. Milk powder is used as an ingredient for different applications in confectionaries, bakeries, infant formulas, and nutritional foods. It is obtained mainly by roller drying and spray drying methods.

People have become busier with the advent of globalization. Their lifestyles have changed, and the time allocated for household work, such as cooking, has reduced drastically. This lack of time has encouraged consumers to find alternatives to speed up household chores. Packaged and processed food as well as convenient meals has been adopted by the consumers to reduce time required for preparing food. This factor of seeking out convenient alternatives has paved the way for milk powder worldwide. Moreover, the shelf life of milk powder is higher than regular milk, which further increases the demand for milk powder over regular milk. Furthermore, the number of working women has increased and thus, fuels the adoption of infant formula, which boosts the growth of milk powder globally.

Furthermore, the introduction or development of new products such as flavored milk powder or lactose-free milk powder is expected to boost the milk powder market growth in the coming years.

However, milk powder often has emulsifiers in them. Emulsifiers are additives made from plant, animal, and synthetic sources, which help milk powder and similar processed products to attain a smooth texture, prevent separation, and extend shelf life. Safety of emulsifiers is carefully regulated and tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The emulsifiers come under the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) category and are allowed in specific types of food & beverage at precise levels. The FDA frequently reviews the safety of permitted additives, based on the best scientific knowledge, to determine if approvals should be modified or withdrawn. Various studies and a recent 2015 mice study published on Nature stated that emulsifiers may increase bacterial translocation across epithelia and cause problems such as inflammatory bowel disease. This might affect the popularity of milk powder as a healthy alternative and restrict the growth of the milk powder market.

In 2017, the whole milk powder segment dominated the milk powder market due to it being perceived to be the most natural form of processed milk by a large number of consumers. The whole milk powder is also used as an ingredient in food items that need thicker consistency which further drives its growth in the global market. However, skimmed milk powder segment is expected to witness the highest CAGR over the forecast period due to it being popular for having less fat content and less overall calories. However, the skimmed milk powder market is anticipated to witness the highest growth over the forecast period as skimmed milk has very low concentrations of fat and is often considered as a healthier option than whole milk. It also has a better protein profile and is low in calories. It is often considered by people, who have a healthy lifestyle and are conscious about their weight. The powdered form is made by dehydrating skimmed milk. It has very low amounts of fat and is high in protein. It also has the same micro-nutritional profile as the whole milk powder. This makes it an ideal option for the weight watchers.

In 2017, the confectionery segment had the highest share in the powdered milk market. Rise in the consumption of confectionery has positively impacted the demand and growth of milk powder as confectionery require milk products as ingredients to be prepared. However, increase in participation of women in labor force has led to rise in number of women working outside their houses, which drives the growth of the infant formulas market. Infant formulas present an appealing alternative to working mothers for their babies as per the need and convenience.

Asia-Pacific milk powder market share is expected to account for the highest market share, in 2017 and is expected to maintain its dominant position throughout the forecast period. This is attributed to changing lifestyle in the region, led by globalization and increase in working population. Moreover, rise in the affluent population and increase in penetration of internet and social media drive the consumption of processed and packaged food, which makes way for packaged goods in the region.

Key Findings of the Milk Powder Market:

In terms of value, the skimmed milk powder segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.3% during the forecast period.
Asia-Pacific region is expected to dominate the market, registering a significant CAGR of 4.2% in terms of value.
LAMEA region is projected to show exponential growth throughout the forecast years, growing at a CAGR of 5.5%, in terms of value.
The confectioneries segment by application is anticipated to dominate global milk powder market, registering a CAGR of 3.5%.
Whole milk powder segment by type accounted for more than half of the global milk powder market in 2017.

The key players profiled in this report include Arla Foods amba, Dairy Farmers of America Inc., Danone, Dean Foods Company, Fonterra Co-operative Group, Kraft Foods Inc., Lactalis Group, Nestle S.A, Saputo Inc., and Schreiber Foods Inc.