The Banting diet, which promotes high-fat and high-protein intake, has contributed to pent-up demand for full-cream milk, resulting in low supplies of butter on supermarket shelves in South Africa. International butter prices have also been rising due to strong demand, which analysts have pinned on consumers' changing eating habits. "The local consumer has increased demand for full-cream milk, butter and full-cream products, reducing the demand for low-fat milk and products," says Absa agricultural economist Conce Moraba this week. Shoprite Checkers and Pick n Pay confirmed this week that they were experiencing shorter supplies of butter from local manufacturers. The market is experiencing an increased demand for butter as opposed to margarine, as well as full-cream versus skimmed milk, which also competes with raw products available for production of butter, according to a Shoprite spokesperson, who did not want to be named."Pick n Pay's preference is always to buy local, and impor...
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