Britons know all too well: the milk in Belgium just isn’t the same as at home. But why is this?
Belgians are drinking Ultra-High-Temperature (UHT) pasteurised milk, also known as “long life” milk. The taste is wildly different, and with many northern Europeans strongly disliking the ultra-processed milk, why hasn’t fresh milk caught on with the Belgians? The answer is not so simple.
The UHT pasteurisation process, first popularised by Swedish cardboard packaging giant Tetra Pak, was a miracle invention when it first hit the shelves across Europe in the 1960s. This revolution reached Belgium sometime at the end of that decade, and by the 1970s had already earned a status of a supermarket staple among Belgian consumers.
The Tetra Pak process combined square aseptic packaging with ultra-high temperature pasteurisation that quickly killed off any bacteria, allowing the milk to be stored at room temperature for longer periods without spoiling. This is especially useful for warmer climate countries where refrigeration costs are greater and the shelf life of milk is drastically reduced.
Belgium, with its rainy and cold climate, paired with its small landmass and strong agricultural climate, should not be an obvious hotspot for UHT consumption, yet according to one survey conducted by Euromonitor International in 2007, this type of drinking milk accounts for a whopping 96.7% of total consumption in Belgium. This puts Belgium at the top of the leaderboard for UHT consumption, ahead of sunny Spain.
For contrast, just 8.4% of milk consumed in the same period in the United Kingdom was UHT. In Denmark, this figure is almost 0%. Most of northern Europe, including the Netherlands, Ireland, Finland, Norway, and Sweden scorn UHT products, while even Mediterranean nation Greece rejects these products, with just 0.9% consuming long-life milk.
Long-life
Illustration picture shows milk of Delhaize's home brand in a Delhaize supermarket, in Brussels, Friday 05 August 2011. Credit: Belga/ Nicolas Maeterlinck
So why is Belgium so attached to UHT? One simple reason is its improved safety compared to normal pasteurised milk.
Before the advent of UHT milk, fresh milk products, or those pasteurised at lower temperatures, were sometimes linked to diseases such as tuberculosis and brucellosis, both of which could be transmitted through contaminated raw milk. In Belgium, as in much of Europe, these illnesses were a public health concern in the early 20th century, reinforcing the need for stricter milk processing methods.
The introduction of UHT technology provided a near-guaranteed level of safety, eliminating bacteria far more effectively than traditional pasteurisation. This helped cement consumer trust in UHT milk as a safe and reliable staple.
Another key reason for Belgium’s reliance on UHT is the product's long shelf life, which means that it can also be transported in bulk without refrigeration. For supermarkets, this means fewer transportation costs. For consumers, lower prices, making UHT milk an affordable staple in most European countries.
In France, especially in rural areas, milk is traditionally purchased at small neighbourhood stores, making shelf-life and portability important. UHT milk was introduced to France before the advent of supermarkets and the decline of small independent stores.
By the time that supermarkets had spread rapidly in France in the 1970s, many consumers had already become used to the taste of UHT. French consumer trends are often closely replicated in Belgium and two countries are unified by their preference for UHT, with France as Europe’s third largest consumer of this product.
Illustration picture of milk in a milking installation at a dairy farm in Nalinnes, Thursday 05 June 2008. Credit: Belga/ Virgine Lefour
By contrast, in the UK, citizens years had their milk delivered to their door for decades from local dairies, leading them to become accustomed to the taste of fresh milk. When supermarkets opened, British palates were still accustomed to the taste of fresh, albeit pasteurised, milk.
Shaking up the market
While UHT is still dominant in Belgian supermarkets, some consumers still favour fresh milk. In recent years, fresh milk has made a resurgence on Belgian supermarket shelves. At least one brand of fresh milk is available in refrigerated aisles in most major supermarket chains.
Carrefour and Delhaize sell Belgian and Luxembourgish fresh milks to consumers, although this is often displayed alongside creams, yoghurts, and other fresh dairy products, not near the aisle of UHT milk products frequented by Belgian consumers. New Belgian brands of fresh milk are also hitting the shelves with new brands appealing to organic consumers.
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Other new trends in the milk market, such as milks derived from vegetable products and grains, fermented milk, and lactose-free alternatives are also shaking up the Belgian milk sector. Some of these products are now also being sold in refrigerated aisles, alongside their fresh milk counterparts.
Despite this trend, it seems unlikely that Belgian consumers' preference for UHT is going anywhere soon. With the average French-speaking Belgian drinking four glasses of the liquid per week, fresh milk still has a long way to churn before it can cream off a bigger share of the market.
