MILK REPUTATION PROGRAMME

"Milk reputation programme in Europe, starting in Portugal. The dairy market has been characterised in recent years as having an alarming and unsustainable performance. On the one hand, we produce above consumption needs (in Portugal and throughout Europe), but on the other, we are experiencing the largest milk reputation crisis in living memory. All this negative word of mouth started in 2011 when Harvard University presented “Healthy Eating Plate” that recommends a more moderate milk ingestion, one or two “doses/glasses daily” and suggested that collards, bok choy, fortified soy milk, and baked beans are safer choices than dairy for obtaining calcium. Portugal is no exception and the doubts about the real value of milk caused controversy and inspired the media, specifically the digital media and self-media. This became the worst media crisis, with a dangerous impact on consumer attitudes and consumption. Questioning the value of milk as a safe food gained legitimacy after unquestioning consumption for centuries, and milk comes out of a virtuous cycle, to be exposed to a dubious cycle, across Europe. The aim of the project is to provide transparency by means of disseminating relevant content in order to reverse the trend and help milk regain its integrity and nutritional values. The programme is called Milk Reputation Programme. It is planned for three years, supported and based on a communication ecosystem with the aim of positive word-of-mouth results. It therefore aims to influence the perceptions and behaviours. The programme will be implemented throughout mainland Portugal and the islands. However, Portugal may serve as a sample base for other European countries, with a similar market situation and individual and social consumer behaviour. (Portugal is a country with unique features that allowsome multinationals test concepts and approaches to solutions, which can then be implemented in other countries.) "