消费量长期下降 美国牛奶业陷入危机

In an age of vitamin waters and energy drinks, the decadeslong decline in U.S. milk consumption has accelerated, worrying dairy farmers, milk processors and grocery chains.

在维他命水和能量饮料的时代，美国的牛奶消费量持续数十年的下降趋势已经进一步加速，美国的奶农、牛奶加工企业和食品连锁店为此忧心忡忡。

The industry 'is coming to recognize this as a crisis,' says Tom Gallagher, CEO of Dairy Management Inc., a farmer-funded trade group that promotes milk products. 'We cannot simply assume that we will always have a market.'

Dairy Management Inc.的首席执行长加拉格尔(Tom Gallagher)说，乳制品行业开始意识到了这是一场危机。Dairy Management Inc.是由奶农出资设立的一家推动乳制品发展的行业组织。加拉格尔说，我们不能想当然地认为乳制品永远会有市常

Per-capita U.S. milk consumption, which peaked around World War II, has fallen almost 30% since 1975, even as sales of yogurt, cheese and other dairy products have risen, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics. The reasons include the rise in popularity of bottled waters and the concern of some consumers that milk is high in calories.

根据美国农业部(U.S. Department of Agriculture)的数据，美国的人均牛奶消费量曾在二战前后达到顶峰，自1975年以来下降了大约30%，同时，酸奶、奶酪和其他奶制品的销售出现增长。导致牛奶消费量下降的原因包括瓶装水越来越受欢迎，以及有些消费者担心牛奶的卡路里过高。

Another factor, according to the USDA, is that children, who tend to be heavy milk drinkers, account for a smaller share of the U.S. population than they once did.

美国农业部说，另一个原因是美国人口中儿童的比例较以往有所下降。儿童是消费牛奶的主要群体。

To revive sales, milk companies and retailers are pushing smaller, more-convenient packages and health-oriented varieties, including protein-enhanced milk aimed at fitness buffs.

为了提振销售，牛奶公司和零售商正在推出包装更孝更方便携带的牛奶，以及更具保健功能的牛奶产品，比如专为健身人士推出的蛋白质强化牛奶。

The dairy industry is also retooling its marketing to tout the authenticity of cow's milk and to deride fast-growing alternatives like soy and almond milk as 'imitation milk.'

牛奶业还开始采用新的营销策略，在宣传中突出牛奶的“纯正，并把增长迅速的牛奶替代品──如豆奶和杏仁露等──嘲讽地称为“仿制乳。

The decline's recent acceleration is due in part to increases in milk's retail price, a result of the soaring costs for grains fed to dairy cows, according to industry officials. But the depth of this year's slide has surprised some food-industry executives because retail milk prices have risen only slightly this year after surging 9.2% last year, according to federal data.

牛奶行业的管理者说，牛奶消费量最近加速下降的原因之一是牛奶零售价格出现上涨，而这是奶牛饲料中谷物成本飙升造成的。不过，今年牛奶消费量的下降幅度之大还是让食品行业的高管非常吃惊，因为据联邦数据显示，今年牛奶的零售价上涨的幅度微乎其微，相比之下，去年牛奶的零售价大涨了9.2%。

Americans drank an average of 20.2 gallons of milk last year, a decline of 3.3% from the previous year and the biggest year-over-year slide since a 2.8% drop in 1993, according to the USDA.

去年，美国人均牛奶饮用量为20.2加仑（约76.5升），同比下降了3.3%，这是自1993年同比下降2.8%之后，美国人均牛奶饮用量出现的最大降幅。

So far this year, sales volume at U.S. food retailers for all types of liquid milk, including nondairy varieties, has fallen 2.9% from a year earlier, and total dollar sales have slipped 2.2%, according to Chicago-based market-research firm SymphonyIRI Group Inc. Sales volume for the biggest milk category─skim and low-fat milk─has dropped 4%.

总部位于芝加哥的市场研究公司SymphonyIRI Group Inc.提供的数据显示，年初迄今，美国食品零售商各种液态奶（包括非乳制品）的销量同比下降了2.9%，总销售额下降了2.2%。乳制品中最大的品类──脱脂奶和低脂奶的销量下降了4%

Organic milk sales are growing but account for only about 4% of retail sales, according to Dairy Management.

Dairy Management说，有机奶的销售正在增长，但是有机奶仅占零售总量的4%左右。

The protracted slide is troubling for retailers, which have long sold milk at the back of the store to lure shoppers through the aisles, often as a loss leader. 'Milk is an extremely important category for us,' says Alan Faust, director of dairy and frozen products at Kroger Co., the second-biggest U.S. food retailer by sales after Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

牛奶消费量长期下降让零售商非常苦恼，零售商们长期以来一直把牛奶摆放在商店最里面，以吸引购物者穿过货架间的过道，牛奶常常是商家为吸引顾客而亏本出售的商品。Kroger Co.是仅次于沃尔玛(Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)的美国第二大食品零售商。Kroger乳制品和冷冻产品负责人福斯特(Alan Faust)说，牛奶对我们来说是极为重要的一类商品。

Kroger CEO David Dillon said in a recent interview that consumers may no longer consider milk as healthful as they once did. So Kroger, which runs its own dairies, plans to start selling a milk brand called CARBMaster next month that contains 20% more protein and lower sugar content than conventional milk.

Kroger的首席执行长狄龙(David Dillon)最近接受采访时说，消费者可能不再像以前一样认为牛奶是一直健康饮品。所以，Kroger计划从下月开始销售CARBMaster牛奶品牌，与传统牛奶相比，这种牛奶的蛋白质含量要高出20%，而且含糖量更低。Kroger经营着自己的奶牛常

Shamrock Farms Co., an Arizona-based milk producer, recently began selling a 'muscle builder' version of its high-protein milk, Rockin' Refuel, in partnership with retailer General Nutrition Centers Inc. With the product, which combines chocolate milk and added protein, Shamrock is attempting to lure consumers who buy nondairy drinks such as CytoSport Inc.'s Muscle Milk, says Shamrock's marketing director, Sandy Kelly.

亚利桑那州牛奶生产商Shamrock Farms Co.最近开始与零售商General Nutrition Centers Inc.合作，销售一种有助于饮用者增长肌肉的高蛋白牛奶Rockin' Refuel。这种产品结合了巧克力和牛奶，并添加了蛋白质。Shamrock的营销总监凯利(Sandy Kelly)希望通过这种产品把购买CytoSport Inc.的Muscle Milk等非乳制饮品的消费者吸引过来。