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| Consumers shop for milk products at a large supermarket in Seoul, Nov. 4. Newsis |
By Kim Jae-heun
A growing number of consumers are turning to imported sterilized milk products due to their lower prices amid soaring inflation, according to industry officials, Thursday. The steep price hikes of locally produced fresh milk in November have further encouraged more people to seek out alternatives.
According to the Korea Customs Service, imports of sterilized milk reached 14,675 tons in the first half of this year, up 57 percent compared to last year. In the "Online mall dairy products purchase trend" study released by WiseApp in October, sterilized milk products swept all of the top 10 most popular items. WiseApp is a retail app analysis service firm.
"Amid the rising cost of living here, sterilized milk products seem to be gaining popularity as they can be stored for a long time and they are comparatively cheaper than regular milk," a WiseApp official said.
Milk is sterilized via an ultra-high temperature treatment, which kills all microorganisms and allows the product to be stored at room temperature for up to six months while having the same nutrients as regular pasteurized milk. Sterilized milk imported from Poland and Australia, which operate large-scale dairy firms, is sold at the price of 1,500 won ($1.13) to 2,000 won per liter online. Their prices are up to 50 percent cheaper than domestic refrigerated milk, as they last for a longer period of time.
Meanwhile, the prices of milk and other major dairy products have increased since the middle of last month.
When the board of directors of the Korea Dairy Committee decided to raise the price of raw milk by 49 won per liter, local dairy companies such as Seoul Milk, Namyang Dairy Products, Maeil Dairy Products and Binggrae all increased the prices of their products. Seoul Milk raised its price of one liter of milk from 2,791 won to 2,809 won on average two weeks ago and Maeil Milk increased the price of one liter from 2,740 won to 2,755 won.
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