World Milk Day

The 1^st. of June every year is a very special day when the whole world comes together to celebrate the goodness of milk and its importance as a global food source. Started by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 2001, the recognition of the World Milk Day continues to grow as it is celebrated by more and more countries every year. Nothing compares to the goodness of milk. It is the best source for calcium and vitamin D - two nutrients essential for building strong bones and teeth. It is also rich in protein which is important for building and repairing body tissues. In fact, milk is regarded as one of the most nutritionally complete foods available on our planet and has been part of the human diet for thousands of years.

Although daily cows produce the greatest amount of world milk supply mostly from developed countries, more people drink the milk of goats than milk of any other single species on a world wide basis. Dairy goat farming is a vital sector of agricultural businesses in developed countries of the Mediterranean region such as France, Italy, Spain and Greece. Production of goat milk and its product of cheeses and yogurt is also a valued part of the total dairy industry in developed countries, where it provides diversity to sophisticated consumer tastes, and support people with medical afflictions, like allergies and gastrointestinal disorders, who needs alternative dairy products.

However, production of goat milk is equally  important in countries of the underdeveloped world, where it provides basic nutrition and subsistence to the rural people, which are the majority of their populations. Home consumption of goat milk is important in the prevention of under nutrition and malnutrition, since milk is the superior source of calcium and protein, and to millions of rural poor people cow milk is not available or not affordable. A daily minimum supply of 1000 mg calcium per person is widely recommended, as is a minimum of 60 g protein from animal sources.

Goats milk is also great for your skin because it is rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins as well as high in lactic acid which helps exfoliate dead skin cells and soften your skin. Thus, goat milk serves in a general way four types of market around the world, such as (1) Home Consumption, (2) Specialty gourmet interests, (3) Medical needs, and (4) Skin Care Products.