According to a new study by Dr. Thomas Elliot of Aalborg University in Denmark and Benjamin Goldstein of the University of Michigan Dr. Benjamin Goldstein and Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from the University of Michigan collaborated to find out how much milk was wasted on Canadian dairy farms. Dalhousie University, Canada. The study, published in Ecological Economics, highlights a pressing issue in Canada’s dairy production system, which regulates the production and sale of milk. This waste, driven by overproduction, results in huge environmental and economic costs as well as lost nutritional opportunities.
Canada’s dairy production system is designed to balance supply and demand, but as Dr. Elliott explains, “the current system incentivizes farmers to overproduce milk, resulting in large amounts being discarded when supply exceeds demand.” Over the past decade, Wasted milk represents billions of dollars in economic losses, and its environmental impacts include the release of greenhouse gases similar to those emitted by hundreds of thousands of cars. The amount of wasted milk could potentially provide the annual dairy needs of millions of Canadians.
The study used publicly available Statistics Canada data using a method called material flow analysis to estimate wasted milk. It shows that although dairy farms produced large amounts of milk between 2012 and 2021, only a portion of it was sold, while a portion of the milk was not wasted and was considered wasted. Lost milk represents not only an economic loss but also an environmental burden, as the study quantified its greenhouse gas emissions and the land and water required to produce it.
The research team proposed several solutions to reduce milk waste. A key recommendation is to reform the system by reducing incentives for farmers to overproduce. “Updating the quota system to better reflect actual consumer demand, especially as plant-based alternatives become more popular, can help reduce overproduction and waste,” Dr Elliot said. The study also advocates for greater transparency, urging the Canadian Dairy Council to monitor and report the amount of discarded milk as a step toward greater accountability.
This massive waste of milk is not just an isolated problem in Canada. Other countries with large dairy production, including the United States and New Zealand, also struggle with excess milk. However, Canada’s production system has strict quotas, resulting in higher waste rates compared to other countries. In the United States, where it is also a problem, discard rates are generally lower due to a more flexible market-driven approach.
Researchers believe that while Canada’s current system stabilizes prices and provides support to farmers, its structure leads to inefficiencies. Eliminating the system entirely could have unintended consequences, such as driving farmers to produce more milk to stay profitable, further exacerbating waste. Therefore, reforming the system to more severely penalize overproduction and encourage sustainable dairy farming practices is a more feasible path.
In summary, the study calls for urgent reforms in the Canadian dairy sector to address the environmental, economic and nutritional impacts of milk waste. “We need to align dairy production with sustainability goals, reduce overproduction and move towards more efficient and transparent practices,” Elliot stressed. The findings raise questions about how dairy production in Canada and other countries How countries can strike a balance between supporting farmers and reducing food waste is an important question.
Journal reference
Elliot, T., Goldstein, B. and Charlebois, S. (2024). “More than 6 billion liters of Canadian milk have been wasted since 2012.” Ecological Economics, 227, 108413. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2024.108413
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About the author
Thomas Elliot is a leading researcher in the field of sustainability and resource management, currently affiliated with Aalborg University in Denmark and the École de Keyolies supérieure in Canada. With a strong academic background in environmental economics and urban planning, his work focuses on addressing inefficiencies in global food systems and sustainable development. Elliot’s research often uses innovative material flow analysis to quantify environmental impacts, particularly in the agriculture and dairy sectors. His recent work illuminates the significant environmental and economic consequences of food waste, particularly in the Canadian dairy industry. He is passionate about policy reform and aims to deliver data-driven solutions to promote transparency and sustainability in resource management.
Benjamin Goldstein is an environmental scientist in the School of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan, and in the School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at McGill University in Canada. His research explores the intersection of agriculture, food systems and environmental sustainability. Goldstein specializes in life cycle assessment and material flow analysis, helping to quantify the environmental footprint of food production. His work has attracted attention because it focuses on reducing agricultural waste and mitigating the climate impact of the dairy industry. Goldstein is particularly interested in how sustainability practices can be incorporated into large-scale food production systems to reduce waste and emissions.
Sylvain Charlebois is a distinguished professor of food policy and agricultural economics and a researcher in agricultural economics at Dalhousie University in Canada. He is Director of the Agri-Food Analysis Laboratory, where he leads extensive research on food distribution, sustainability and consumer behavior. Charlebois is widely recognized for his expertise in food systems, which contributes to the public discourse on food security and waste reduction. His research often focuses on supply chain inefficiencies, particularly in the Canadian dairy industry, and aims to bridge the gap between food production and sustainable consumption. Charlebois is also a well-known media commentator, often discussing trends in food policy and innovation.
