<aside> 📌 Last updated June 24th, 2024.

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Sector sheet

🚜 Industry

The name « butter » is regulated, and reserved for dairy products of the water-in-fat emulsion type, obtained by physical processes, whose constituents are of dairy origin. It is made from cream, which may be pasteurized, frozen or deep-frozen.

With or without a qualifier (semi-salted, salted, etc.), butter must be composed of:

• minimum 82% butterfat
• minimum 2% non-fat
• 16% water maximum

Manufacturing process

• It takes 22 kg of whole milk to make 1 kg of butter:
• Cream maturation: To begin with, pasteurized cream is matured using bacterial cultures. This process enables the bacteria to convert lactose into lactic acid, giving the butter its distinctive taste. The cream is generally left to mature for around 12 to 24 hours.
• Cream churning: After maturing, the cream is poured into a butter churn, which is a large container designed to agitate the cream. Churning breaks the fatty membranes surrounding each fat droplet, freeing the fat droplets to stick together.
• The separation of butter and buttermilk: As the cream is churned, the fats begin to group and form a solid mass - this is the butter. Meanwhile, the remaining liquid is known as buttermilk and is separated from the butter.
• Washing the butter: The butter is then washed in cold water to remove any residual buttermilk. If the buttermilk is not completely removed, the butter may become rancid.
• Kneading the butter: Next, the butter is kneaded to remove the last traces of water and air. This stage also gives the butter its final texture.
• Shaping the butter: Finally, the butter is shaped into blocks, bars or balls, depending on the desired format.

📌 source: Dairy processing handbook from Tetrapak

📈 Production & consumption

🌍 Worldwide

Estimated world butter production in 2022 was 11.56Mt.

According to the USDA, India is the world's leading butter producer, ahead of the European Union and the United States.

On the other hand, in 2022, milk collection in the main exporting countries was sluggish, following trends already seen in 2021: in January 2022, global collection recorded a 2% slowdown in production compared with January 2021. The mechanical impact of this is a reduction in the availability of raw materials for butter production.

Consumption, on the other hand, is on the rebound, with a marked craze for butter products, particularly in China and the Middle East, helping to boost global demand and put pressure on prices. France is the leading consumer (8kg per capita per year).

According to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), this figure could rise by 19% by 2026.

🇪🇺 Production in Europe

In 2022, Europe's biggest butter producers were Germany (477.10kT), France (410.12kT), Ireland (299.40kT), Poland (247.23kT), and the Netherlands (214.08kT).

Butter production in the main European producer countries is set to decline in 2022, partly as a result of lower milk collections. Rising summer temperatures are also a source of concern for producers, insofar as high temperatures are incompatible with milk and forage production, and accentuate the seasonal drop in production.

Butter production is also declining, to the benefit of cream and cheese production, for which European and international demand remains strong, and for which the manufacturing process is more profitable.

In response to this low availability, the European Union has sharply reduced its butter exports, but continues to meet buoyant domestic consumption, both in the FMCG sector and in the food industry.

🍳 Derived ingredients & uses

The different types of butter are :

• Raw butter or raw cream butter: as its name suggests, it is made exclusively from cream that has undergone no sanitizing treatment, apart from refrigeration of the milk after milking in milk tanks at 4°C, to preserve it.
• Extra-fine butter: made exclusively from pasteurized cream that has never been frozen, deep-frozen or deacidified. This means that production begins no later than 72 hours after the milk or cream has been collected, and 48 hours after the milk has been skimmed.
• Fine butter: this is a butter in which the proportion of frozen or deep-frozen dairy ingredients does not exceed 30%.
• Salted butter: its salt content generally exceeds 3%.
• Semi-salted butter: its salt content is generally between 0.8% and 3%.
• Appellation d'Origine butter: like all Appellations d'Origine, it is subject to rigorous criteria of terroir and manufacturing tradition. Three butters have been awarded PDO status: Charentes-Poitou butter, Isigny butter and Bresse butter, thanks to their link to the land and the finesse and typicality of their taste.
• Low-fat butter: its fat content must be between 60 and 62%. The cream is pasteurized beforehand.
• demi beurre or light butter: fat content between 39 and 41%. The cream is pre-pasteurized.

Impact Factors

💨 Carbon Emissions

The carbon footprint of butter varies according to a number of factors, including production methods, dairy cow feed and waste management. Greenhouse gas emissions associated with butter production are mainly linked to milk production and the processing of milk into butter.

Depending on these different factors - and depending on the study - estimates of GHG emissions from butter production can vary.

In a study published in 2020 in the International Journal of LCA assessment, it is estimated that the intensity of butter is between 8.1kgCO2eq/kg and 16.9kgCO2eq/kg..

The Agribalyse 3.1 database gives an emission factor for 82% sweet butter of 7.89kgCO2/kg..

In comparison, emissions from margarine production are 6 times lower.

🐝 Biodiversity Impacts

Farming cows to produce milk for butter can impact biodiversity through 4 main mechanisms:

• Deforestation: In some regions, the expansion of agriculture, including dairy farming, can lead to deforestation. Deforestation has a direct impact on biodiversity by destroying the natural habitats of animal and plant species, which can lead to the disappearance of certain species and a reduction in biological diversity.
• Loss of habitat: The conversion of natural ecosystems to farmland for fodder production and livestock rearing can result in the loss of habitat for many wild species. Wetlands, grasslands and woodlands may be converted to pasture or crops to meet the needs of the dairy industry, reducing the availability of habitats for plants and animals.
• Use of pesticides and fertilizers: In some butter production systems, the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers may be necessary to cultivate forage crops. These chemicals can contaminate soils and surrounding waters, affecting aquatic ecosystems and associated biodiversity.
• Greenhouse gas emissions: Butter production is also associated with greenhouse gas emissions, mainly in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). These emissions contribute to climate change, which in turn can affect biodiversity by disrupting ecosystems and natural cycles.

Sustainable agricultural practices can be implemented to reduce the impact on biodiversity. This can include preserving forest areas, adopting more sustainable farming systems, reducing the use of chemicals, and implementing biodiversity-friendly land management practices.

💦 Water consumption

According to UNESCO, the production of one kilogram of butter requires around 5,214 liters of water, an estimate based on the notion of a "water footprint".

The water footprint encompasses the water consumed throughout the production chain, including the water needed to grow feed for the dairy cows, the water the cows drink, the water used to clean the facilities and the water used in the processing.

How can I source butter to reduce the environmental impact of my products?

The elements to consider when choosing a butter that will reduce environmental impact are as follows:

• Choose local butter
• Opt for organic butter
• Choose butter produced using sustainable agricultural practices

⭐ Which label(s) for which guarantee(s)?

In France, there are 2 main labels:

• Agriculture Biologique" label: this certifies to the consumer that the butter comes from milk and a production method subject to specific rules:
  • The cows' feed must come from the farm, and inputs such as pesticides, fungicides, chemical fertilizers, etc. are excluded.
  • Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are prohibited in herd feed.
  • Animal care is based on the principles of alternative medicine, using essential oils, aromatherapy, osteopathy and homeopathy. Traditional pharmaceutical products are prohibited.
  • If really necessary, traditional care is given to sick animals, but they are then excluded from the organic production circuit.
• AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégées): there are 3 AOP butters, each with its own list of criteria:
  • Charentes-Poitou PDO butter: this butter is made exclusively from cream milk from the Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres, Vienne and Vendée départements. It is organically matured.
  • Beurre AOP d'Isigny: from the area around the Bay of Veys. It is made from cream and matured for at least 12 hours.
  • Beurre AOP de Bresse: this butter is made by traditional churning.

Other signs exist to testify to the quality or origin of a butter.

Some butters may be AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, specific to France) before becoming AOP (Europe).

<aside> 💡 AOC, AOP and Label Rouge labels focus on quality, taste and origin, but do not guarantee good environmental or social sustainability practices.

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In France, a number of farms are also involved in a "low-carbon dairy farm" initiative.

This initiative has been developed by the Cniel (Centre National Interprofessionnel de l'Economie Laitière) and aims to promote farming practices and action levers to reduce the carbon footprint of milk by 20% by 2025.

To learn more

📚 Bibliographie

Ministère de l’Agriculture, Le beurre: production et consommation, 2022

Site de la filière laitière

CNIEL Dossier de presse beurre, 2023

Potential for improving the carbon footprint of butter and blend products

Beurres : définition et appellations

Margarine vs. butter: which is better for the environment

Rôle de l’élevage dans le perte de la biodiversité

Agriculture, échanges et environnement - le secteur laitier

[Le marché du beurre reste tendu face à de moindres disponibilités](https://www.tendances-lait-viande.fr/le-marche-du-beurre-reste-tendu-face-a-de-moindres-disponibilites/#:~:text=Pour 2022%2C l'USDA table,plus incertains en poudres grasses.)

Eurostat - Production de beurre

Risque de pénurie mondiale en matière grasse laitière

Carbon footprints evaluation for sustainable food processing system development: A comprehensive review

Potential for improving the carbon footprint of butter and blend products

Liste des exportateurs - beurre

Large-scale regionalised LCA shows that plant-based fat spreads have a lower climate, land occupation and water scarcity impact than dairy butter, 2020