May
20by Patricia Mayville-Cox via greendaily.com
Butter has disappeared from Japanese grocery stores.
And, according to an LA Times article, no one knows when butter will be back and bakeries are hurting. The butter shortage began two years ago when Japanese consumers began to drink less milk, following heavy media coverage claiming milk is bad for your health. Milk consumption and production has also been affected by Japan’s low birthrate, with fewer elementary students getting a daily milk at school.
The low demand left the milk supply so high two years ago that some milk producers were just dumping it down the sewers to get rid of it. Since then producers have adjusted, and there is less milk being produced, leaving less milk to make butter.