And now, an updated response to the catchy much-repeated, often-mimicked, advertising-generated question: Got milk?
No.
Okay, some people do. But nowhere near as many Americans are drinking as much milk as they used to. What was for generations the quintessential American beverage – at least in the non-alcoholic category – is consumed in decreasing quantities for decades.
The downward trend has not changed, according to a recent study by the U.S Department of Agriculture.
The retreat from milk seems to be generational, according to the study, which concluded: “Americans born in the early 1960s drank milk an average of 1.5 times a day when they were teenagers, 0.7 times a day as young adults, and 0.6 times a day in middle age. In contrast, Americans born in the early 1980s entered their teenage years drinking milk just 1.2 times a day and were drinking milk 0.5 times a day as young adults.”
The USDA study was flagged this week by economist blogger and author Timothy Taylor, managing editor of the Journal of Economic Perspectives and author of “The Instant Economist: Everything You Need to Know About How the Economy Works”
Milk is still a sizable business. Nationally, it is the number one agricultural business in 11 states, although California by itself accounts for about one-fifth of all American milk, according to Dairy Farming Today.
In Georgia, the dairy industry accounts for about $1.1 billion of the state’s economy, according to Georgia Milk Producers, Inc.
The state has 233 dairy farms with 84,000 cows, according to the organization.
The decline in milk-drinking is at least partly because of competition – there are just so many other beverages on the shelves, including other kinds of milk (honestly, did your grandmother ever see soy milk on the shelf at the corner store?), according to the USDA study.
Whatever the reason, the difference in American consumption is pretty dramatic: In 1970, Americans had roughly 273.8 pounds of dairy per person, the USDA said. By 2012, that was down to 198.8 pounds per person.
Total dairy consumption has dropped, but not quite so much, however. That is because Americans are eating a whole lot more cheese these days – cheese that is used in Tex-Mex offerings, cheese that comes in various pre-packaged foods and of course, cheese that is used as a topping on some very popular foods.
As in: Got pizza?
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