Ireland's polluting dairy industry has been accused of selling ultra-processed "poor quality by-products" as milk using "highly unethical" marketing.
Kerrygold Avantage has been in Nigeria for five years, and sales of Irish full fat milk powder (FFMP) have been growing in West Africa – a huge boon for Ireland’s dairy industry. The product is the country’s most popular dairy export, surpassing butter and milk, with exports worth €825 million last year. However, most people in Ireland have probably never heard of FFMP, as it is only sold to businesses there as an ingredient in other products such as ice cream and baked goods. In fact, in Europe it cannot legally be described as “milk” because it does not contain milk alone.
Instead, FFMP is produced in factories by spray-drying skimmed milk, a waste product from butter production, and then adding vegetable fats such as palm or coconut oil. Most of it is exported outside Europe, with more than half going to West Africa.
A new investigation by Desmog and Nigerian outlet Premium Times has found that milk powder, which has travelled more than 3,000 miles from Ireland, has reached Nigeria, Senegal and Ghana via local importers. Once in the country, it is packaged in large bags, tins and sachets of decreasing size, which are sold in supermarkets, shops and market stalls.
FFMP is supplied to Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal by Irish dairy companies, who cannot sell it in their home country.
Cheaper than milk, FFMP has a longer shelf life and is marketed as a “good” source of protein – even though it contains much less protein than whole milk powder. Mixed with water, it is poured into breakfast cereals, or used as a “creamer” for tea and coffee, as well as a base for yoghurts, drinks and desserts. Its sales now rival those of more expensive whole milk and skimmed milk powders in the region. However, Desmog’s investigation in Nigeria found that the perception that this product is healthy and sustainable is carefully constructed by companies that brand and sell the product across West Africa.
Analysis of trade and customs data has linked four major Irish dairy firms to the trade in full-fat milk powder: Ornua, Lakeland Dairies, Tirlan and The Milk Company. Between 2020 and 2024, Irish firms sold more than 415,000 tonnes of FFMP to West Africa. Documents seen by Desmog show that Ireland’s dairy industry is knowingly selling lactose-containing products to “lactose intolerant” young people in Nigeria.
An investigation has found that an FFMP brand, distributed by Lakeland Dairies, is violating food rules of the European Union and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) by selling a product containing excess fat and too little protein.
An analysis of social media posts found that Kerrygold was using celebrities and influencers in social media campaigns, some of which made misleading claims. This included over-promoting the sustainability and benefits of full-fat milk powder – a product that academics have described to Desmog as “nutritionally mediocre”. “Most consumers in Senegal and Nigeria are unaware that FFMP is skimmed milk powder combined with vegetable fats and is not the same as whole milk powder,” explains Papa Assane Diop from Humundi, an anti-poverty and hunger NGO in Senegal, the largest customer of Irish FFMP in 2023. Market research by Ireland’s own food and drink authority, Bord Bia, supports Diop’s view.
The images of Irish pastures depicted on FFMP packaging and advertisements are misleading, misleading Irish farmers. This hides the fact that FFMP is high in energy, derived from dairy cows raised on land contaminated with nitrate-rich fertilizers.
"It's a highly processed product, it's even banned from being called milk in the EU," says Paul Murphy, a member of the Irish parliament and former MEP, who believes Desmog's findings expose "very unethical marketing practices" by Irish companies.
"Big agri-food companies are the only ones profiting, ignoring the climate, human health and livelihoods. The FFMP, which exports to West Africa, is putting African farmers out of business while increasing Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions."
West Africa's newly wealthy middle class is seen as a huge business opportunity for multinational dairy companies, and Ireland, the largest exporter of full-fat milk powder in the EU, is at the forefront.
Documents obtained through a Freedom of Information request have revealed how Ireland's Food and Drink Authority Board invited executives from Lakeland Dairies, Tirlan and Ornua in Ireland for a trade mission in 2023 - at a cost to the Irish taxpayer of €170,000.
The mission marked a decade of Irish trade in Nigeria, with the aim of “increasing awareness of Irish dairy products as a whole” in Nigeria and Senegal. In a slideshow, the report said the sale of FFMP products, which contain up to 37 percent lactose, could have adverse effects on the population.
"Milk consumption is low among young people because many of them are lactose intolerant," said nutritionist Auwalu Aliyu, who noted that lactose intolerance is common in Nigeria and can cause diarrhea and abdominal pain. "It is a common health problem in the country," she said.
Three Irish dairy companies, which have a combined turnover of €7.8 billion in 2024, gained exclusive access to buyers, government and other key market stakeholders during a five-day mission to Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria, and Dakar, Senegal.
In response to a parliamentary question based on the preliminary findings of this investigation, Bord Bia said that a number of government-to-government meetings were held during the visit and that Bord Bia and Enterprise Ireland met with “leading customers for Irish agri-food and agricultural technology”.
The executives were invited to a presentation on “Consumer Lifestyle Trends” in Nigeria. The presentation highlighted the role of branding in FFMP sales, noting that 99 percent of consumers now buy branded milk powder.
"The importance of brands and brand building in Nigeria, even among the lower social classes, was presented as crucial."
"People tend to trust social media and celebrities more than trained professionals," he said. "In dietetics and nutrition, this is known as a food fad. It's a trend driven by marketing rather than evidence."
According to a press release on Ireland's government website, Bord Bia clients secured more than 300 "trade targets" and concluded that there was "significant potential" for Irish agri-food sales in West Africa.
Posted by Kerrygold Nigeria on June 30, 2023 with this caption:
“There is nothing better than ‘the embodiment of unity’ blending with nature’s finest freshness, and with Kerrygold Avantage Milk being an embodiment of that unity, you are always guaranteed rich creamy goodness.” Credit: Kerrygold Nigeria / X
To capitalize on market opportunities in West Africa, Irish dairy companies are running campaigns on social media, sometimes spreading misleading claims about the nutritional value and sustainability of full-fat milk powder.
Desmog and Premium Times analyzed hundreds of posts made on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok by three leading FFMP brands in West Africa between 2022 and 2024, and found that manufacturers often exaggerate the health benefits and environmental impacts of their products.
The posts were analyzed focusing on the product's nutritional value, its ability to reduce the environmental impact of dairy products, and its ability to make children more attentive and more active.
Kerrygold Nigeria promotes all its products as sustainable, claiming in an ex post that its dairy products “reduce their environmental footprint while providing nutritious foods and livelihoods around the world” and that “Kerrygold Avantage Milk is an embodiment of [nature’s] harmony,” guaranteeing “rich, creamy goodness every time.”
Mixi, a major full-fat milk powder brand distributed by Lakeland Dairies, makes a number of bold claims about its nutritional value, including that it contains “all the nutrients you need to stay physically and mentally healthy at all times.” Cowbell, another brand that purchased at least 23,000 tonnes of FFMP from Lakeland Dairies between 2021 and 2024, claims that its product is “high in protein that helps with brain development” and “helps children stay strong and active.”
Mixi, which is partly distributed by Lakeland Dairies, is shown in the advertisement at a store in Nigeria.
All the brands analyzed by Desmog fortify FFMP, a widely used and recognized way to add vitamins and nutrients to food. But the experts involved with Desmog were unaware of any in-depth research into the nutritional value of different varieties.
Other nutritionists warn about the negative effects of palm and coconut oils, which are high in saturated fats and are replacing dairy fats in FFMP. These vegetable oils "have no health benefits, but are likely to have a negative impact on the overall diet,"
Although some FFMP brands contain up to three times less protein than powdered milk, Kerrygold Nigeria claims that Avantage FFMP is “nutritious”, “nutritious”, and a “good source” of protein. Some of these posts are aimed at parents of young children, who claim that it will keep them “active, healthy”, with “sharp and lively” brains. But this product has no health benefits.
A 2017 study commissioned by the European Parliament contradicted this common industry claim about sustainability, revealing that Ireland has the highest greenhouse gas emissions per euro of output.
Dairy farming also creates pollution in other ways. Ireland's Environmental Protection Agency highlights that agriculture not only accounts for 37 percent of the country's greenhouse gas emissions, but is also a major contributor to nitrous oxide and nitrate pollution.
Nitrous oxide is a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming impact 265 times greater than carbon dioxide - while nitrates leach into soil and water bodies, causing algae to grow and harming aquatic life. Methane is the most widespread global warming gas, with emissions in Ireland increasing by 50 per cent between 2010 and 2022, due to the large size of the livestock sector.
Not all farmers in Ireland consider its intensive farming model a “success story.” “The problem is that some of our dairy systems are beyond what ecosystems, such as water quality, can handle,” says Fergal Anderson, a vegetable farmer and member of Talam Bio, Ireland’s grassroots farmers’ group.
Bord Bia claims that Ireland produces enough food to feed 25 million people - five times its own population. However, Anderson says this narrative does not represent reality: "We are actually polluting our own environment to feed the profits of corporate companies that want to export to third countries."
“Ireland is a small open trading economy, with Irish dairy products exported to around 140 countries around the world, including markets in Africa,” said a spokesperson for Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), describing West Africa as a market that offers significant opportunities for Irish drinks, seafood and dairy companies. “Placing a product on the market is a commercial decision that companies must make in accordance with applicable legislation and market demand,” she added.
"I think most farmers wouldn't be happy to think that FFMP is undermining the work of a farming family in another country," Anderson adds. "But corporations don't care about that."
Credit: Desmog
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