Dairy Demand Shifting Due To COVID-19

Apr 08, 2020

The COVID-19 outbreak is causing rapid fluctuations in demand for many milk and dairy products.

"In the food service industry, and that is particularly restaurants and that sort of thing, a lot of them have been shut down or it's just take-out," said David Wiens, Chair of Dairy Farmers of Manitoba (DFM). "There's been a very reduced activity at that level and that has resulted in less demand directly for those products."

He notes more of the demand for dairy is at the retail level directly to consumers, however there hasn't been a new standard set at this point.

Wiens says the dramatic changes in demand have resulted in the need for the disposal of some raw milk.

"It's happening right across the country, but I can certainly speak specifically for Western Canada where's there's been a significant volume of raw milk that had to be discarded because the processors are saying 'we've got enough'. We have nowhere else to bring it."

He notes a cow produces a certain amount of milk per day and farmers must continue to milk them for the animal's well-being.

Wiens says DFM will continue to donate excess milk to Manitoba food banks in an effort to reduce the amount that is discarded.

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Video: Sweetener Effects on Gut Health - Dr. Kwangwook Kim

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Kwangwook Kim, Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, discusses the use of non-nutritive sweeteners in nursery pig diets. He explains how sucralose and neotame influence feed intake, gut health, metabolism, and the frequency of diarrhea compared to antibiotics. The conversation highlights mechanisms beyond palatability, including hormone signaling and nutrient transport. Listen now on all major platforms!

“Receptors responsible for sweet taste are present not only in the mouth but also along the intestinal tract.”

Meet the guest: Dr. Kwangwook Kim / kwangwook-kim is an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, specializing in swine nutrition and feed additives under disease challenge models. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from the University of California, Davis, where he focused on intestinal health and metabolic responses in pigs. His research evaluates alternatives to antibiotics, targeting gut health and performance in nursery pigs.