A2 Brute? Dairy's showdown

National dairy processor Lion has provoked a swift backlash from its young Sydney-based rival the A2 Milk Company and its customers after successfully promoting the contentious A2 protein as a key ingredient in its Pura and Dairy Farmers milk lines.

Although major milk companies and scientists have frequently scoffed at the validity of claims that A2 milk is easier for humans to digest than regular cows' milk, Lion has seized on the chance to cash in on the A2 company's customer-winning marketing pitch.

And the strategy appears to have worked.

Lion says milk sales have jumped four per cent in South Australia in the two months since it began promoting its Pura white milk products as "naturally containing the A2 protein".

Regular Australian milk and dairy foods contain a mix of about 60 per cent A2 beta-casein protein and 40pc A1 protein.

However, certain dairy breeds including Holsteins tend to produce milk with more A1 beta-casein, while Guernsey cows' milk is traditionally higher in the A2 protein.

The A2 company, which in just seven years has swiftly grown to grab almost 9pc of the national white milk market, retaliated to Lion's message on Dairy Farmers and Pura milk bottle labels by cranking up its own marketing counter-offensive.

It placed collar labels around its milk bottles this week claiming only A2 milk was free of any A1 beta-casein protein.

The A2 Milk Company won't confirm other strategies in the pipeline, but loyal A2 milk consumers want the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to step in to stop mainstream milk companies potentially duping unwitting shoppers with their own twist on the A2 protein message.

"It's something we believe the ACCC will have a look at because consumers have expressed concern, but I won't comment on anything else about the ACCC," said A2's Australian and New Zealand chief executive officer Peter Nathan.

However, after witnessing the recent rush of negative publicity fanned by marketers cashing in on the milk permeate debate, many in the dairy industry worry the latest marketing stoush will simply magnify any confusion about all milk's natural nutritional value.

"The reality is Australians are not drinking enough milk according to nutrition and health experts - it doesn't matter if it's A2 or not," said Dairy Australia media manager, Mark Pearce.

"We don't want people to lose sight of the fact that the many proteins in milk are very good - milk is not a bad product."

Lion dairy and drinks managing director, Mark West said consumers appeared to be fully supportive of the A2 message his company was promoting.

Early national sales figures suggested Lion's white milk sales had jumped about 2pc.

The South Australian trial of the "naturally contains A2" message on milk labels had extended Australia-wide in the past few weeks.

The A2 company's Mr Nathan said while rival, Lion, was effectively endorsing the A2 Milk Company's market and products and generated more discussion about A2 products, it had not changed its milk and only A2 company milk was A1 protein-free.

"It's the absence of the A1 protein that provides the digestive benefit in A2 branded milk," he said.

Mr Nathan said Perth's Curtin University was about to release results of scientific studies with consumers that supported popular theories about A2 milk's digestive appeal.

But dairy industry consultant and former NSW Dairy Corporation head George Davey was disappointed the A2 company's recent positive and reassuring marketing themes about milk had now "slipped down into the gutter to slog it out with Lion".

"I do not think these sorts of opportunistic marketing ploys are good for the dairy industry at all," said Mr Davey, now chairman of Dairy Connect NSW.

"It creates more consumer confusion and I doubt if it will really sell more milk for anybody.

"I don't think it worked when we saw the `no added permeate' campaign - it might have seemed like a coup for a while, but I think it only created doubts about milk in general.

"Why are we making something as natural as milk the focus of contentious debate?"

Mr Davey said he struggled to understand the some dairy industry marketers, including those behind Devondale's recent television campaign showed "dumb people blundering around in mud".

"It's hardly an image that creates much confidence in dairy professionalism, or conditions on the farm."

LION'S leap onto the A2 marketing bandwagon has evoked a sharp response from supporters of the A2 Milk Conmpany's product who were quick to vent their thoughts on the company's Facebook website page.

Tamworth lawyer Merrie Frazer Bott said she had written to Lion expressing extreme concern at its advertising campaign and intended to take the issue "much further".

She said the real issue was not that most milk "contains A2 protein" but that A2 milk did not contain A1 and some A1 intolerant consumers could genuinely suffer health consequences from mistakenly buying Pura or Dairy Farmers milk.

Michael Russell said he was similarly considering asking the relevant NSW authority if Lion was making misleading advertising claims which could have serious health consequences.

Others confessed they were caught out by Lion's advertising, buying milk they thought it was the same as the full A2 product.