New Longer Shelf Life Milk Launched in Spanish Lookout
Today, history was made in Spanish Lookout. An ultra high temperature processing plant was officially inaugurated in Belize and will allow for the local dairy production industry to further develop. Agro-producers and high level government officials including Prime Minister John Briceño was present for the momentous occasion. News Five’s Duane Moody files this report.
Duane Moody, Reporting
Watch out Lala and Dutch Lady Milk, because there is a new locally produced UHT milk that’s hitting the market. The Western Dairies Management in Spanish Lookout has made a two point three million-dollar investment in a Ultra High Temperature processing plant that will give its dairy products a longer shelf life.
Isaac Wolfe, Chairman, Western Dairies
Isaac Wolfe
“Today, March 30, 2022, it is with great honor that we can say that this promise has been fulfilled as we officially launch the operation of our ultra high temperature processing, the UHT facility. This ultra high temperature process allows us to re-engineer and modernize our plant and to provide the Belizean public with yet another milk product. Milk that is one hundred percent natural with up to ninety days shelf life that do not need refrigeration.”
Orlando Habet
Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development, Climate Change & Disaster Risk Management
“Let me congratulate Western Dairies for this milestone. I can still remember the early days of batch pasteurization or low temperature long time at a hundred and fifty-five degrees for thirty minutes and then the graduation to high temperature short time, HTST, which was for a shorter time period and also more efficient at a hundred and sixty-one degrees for fifteen seconds. And now, fulfillment of a long-standing dream, ultra high temperature pasteurization, UHT, at two hundred and eighty degrees Fahrenheit for two seconds, but one that goes in special packaging.”
Nobody wants to buy milk which spoils within three to five days if not refrigerated, so consumers prefer imported milk over the locally produced milk because of the UHT component. In Belize, there are some two hundred and ninety plus milk producers across the country, seven processing companies and now one UHT processing plant. It is a bold move for the country and the industry that can now contribute to the local thirty-five million-dollar demand for dairy products.
Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture, Food Security & Enterprise
Jose Abelardo Mai
“This industry will grow. We have twenty million to grow. Our imports are thirty-five million dollars worth of dairy products and we only produce less than half of that, ten million, so we have twenty million to go. So this is definitely the opportunity that farmers will have to invest more. As a matter of fact, the potential for dairy farm in Belize is tremendous. The reason why it hasn’t grown is because it was restricted to only what can be processed, but now we can grow. Nothing stops us except the quality of our products. So now we have to work on enhancing the quality of cheese and I am certain that we can do that also.”
And there are opportunities to tap into the regional CARICOM and SICA markets. News Five confirmed today that there are already moves to supply Belizean UHT milks to Grenada. Prime Minister John Briceño says that today’s launch is historic for the country and the future of the industry.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“By opening up new markets, for instance right here with Western Dairies, they are already are looking at the marketing in Grenada and then move to the rest of the Caribbean where we can sell our milk, our chicken, our pork, our other products. We have to be able to push our products into CARICOM.”
Jose Abelardo Mai
“The demand for milk in Central America is growing. For example in El Salvador, they import a lot of milk so we are looking at these Central American countries and CARICOM. So once we are able to finalize the quality, the shelf life, the potential is there for us to grow.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
