It used to be the cause of many a breakfast battle between siblings.
But now the question of just who gets to pour the cream of the milk over their cereal is resurfacing as full fat milk makes a comeback.
Demand for the rich and creamy milk is soaring, as consumers ditch the thinner semi-skimmed and plant-based alternatives.
It has been driven in part by changing perspectives about the role of natural fat in our diets, with sales of butter also rising.
Cottage cheese, a staple for fitness fanatics because of its high protein content, is also much more popular.Â
Concerns over ultra-processed foods, the rise in weight-loss jabs and health conscious TikTokers praising full fat milk’s taste and nutritional virtues have all been instrumental in changing British customers’ shopping habits.
Jersey milk, the rich ‘gold top’ once considered a small domestic luxury, is very much back in our baskets as younger shoppers ditch semi-skimmed. Supermarkets say demand for Jersey milk, and whole milk in general, has more than doubled in the past two years.
Tesco reports selling three million more litres last year than in 2023, while Ocado says sales were more than 200 per cent higher last month than in February 2024.
The question of just who gets to pour the cream of the milk over their cereal is resurfacing as Brits appear to be forgoing semi-skimmed and plant-based products in favour of full fat options
Tesco reports selling three million more litres of full fat milk last year than in 2023
Christos Tsakalos, Tesco’s milk buyer, said: ‘Jersey milk is having a major moment again, as is full-fat dairy in general.’
In a TikTok post that was liked nearly 80,000 times, Yalda Alaoui, a nutritionist who runs the Eat Burn Sleep account, also advised her followers to buy only gold-top milk. She said: ‘You don’t want to go for the low-fat options because low fat means high sugar and higher in lactose.’Â
The result of posts such as these is that demand for Jersey milk is now at its highest in 50 years, according to Graham’s, one of Britain’s biggest dairy producers.
The company, based in Stirlingshire, which has produced its Gold Jersey milk for 18 years, said its sales have risen by 40 per cent in the past year. Owner Robert Graham said: ‘People are rediscovering its natural goodness.’
And nutritionist Sophie Gastman said fresh research is questioning the low-fat is healthier narrative: ‘Previously, we assumed that all saturated fat behaves the same way in the body, but now we know that’s a bit too simplistic, especially when it comes to dairy.’
