The way that milk companies are allowed to market their products in Europe is changing today as health chiefs attempt to get people to reduce their intake of fat.

Until now, European Commission regulations meant that milk could be marketed only within tightly defined ranges as whole or full-fat, semi-skimmed or skimmed. Strict rules governed the fat content of each.

Now on, after lobbying by Britain, dairy products containing one per cent fat — above the level of skimmed milk, but below semi-skimmed — can also be marketed as milk. So can products with two per cent fat, above semi-skimmed but well below full fat. Health chiefs are convinced that this extra choice will encourage consumers to switch to products that have lower fat than their usual intake.

Currently, semi-skimmed milk — which contains 1.5 to 1.8 per cent fat — accounts for 63.9 per cent of the market. Whole, or full-fat milk, important for children’s development, accounts for 24.7 per cent of all milk sales. It contains 3.5 per cent fat. Skimmed milk, which contains less than 0.5 per cent fat, accounts for 11.3 per cent of sales.

Dairy industry experts believe that the change could boost milk consumption. Between 1995 and 2005 average consumption per adult fell from four pints per week to three.

In the US “one per cent milk” is a popular concept. Wiseman’s Dairy in Glasgow introduced “The One” three years ago, a product containing one per cent fat which until now could not be labelled milk. Sales have increased by 38 per cent in a year. Experts also believe that consumers can easily adapt to the taste if fat content is adjusted only mildly. Many people may switch from semi-skimmed to one per cent milk because there is only a little difference in taste. Similarly, adults who prefer full-fat milk could switch to a two per cent product. Food manufacturers are also expected to use low-fat milks and cheeses in sauces, ready meals and dairy-based puddings.

A recent scientific report for ministers by the Foresight Programme suggested that without urgent action to tackle diet, almost half of adults and a quarter of all children will be dangerously overweight by 2050.

The cost to the country was estimated at £45 billion a year; of this, £6.5 billion would be needed to pay for the treatment of type two diabetes, strokes, high blood pressure, cancer and heart disease and the rest of the cost would be in absenteeism and benefits.

Judith Bryans, of the Dairy Council, said that introducing one per cent and two per cent milk would help to open up the market and result in products to suit modern tastes. “Some people like semi-skimmed but won’t touch skimmed, but they might like something in between,” she said.

Rosemary Hignett, director of nutrition at the Food Standards Agency, said, “Using one per cent milk could help to reduce saturated fat levels in some foods and would be a positive move for the consumer.”

A spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “This provides an opportunity for the dairy sector to satisfy demand for innovative, transparently labelled, lower-fat products, adding further value to the dairy supply chain and helping the consumer to make informed decisions.”

Reducing the fat content does not lower milk’s nutritional value in any way, said Susan Jebb, a nutrition scientist at the Medical Research Council.

©The Times, London