N.B.:
Historically speaking, US Butter supply has always been completely absorbed, in increasing quantities, by the domestic market - mainly by the confectionery and restaurant industry.

Butter processing plants in the US are becoming increasingly larger while the companies based in the Northwest are tending to branch out across the US in an increasingly widespread manner through the construction of new processing plants, particularly in the largest milk-producing States. This displacement has been made easier by lowered transport costs and a concentration of suppliers and customers in these areas.

The national and international butter market has been particularly affected by changes in consumer habits and this, on the one hand, is down to health reasons and dietary changes. On the other hand, it is also driven by the quest for authenticity and locally-produced produce.

Balancing the commodity surplus, US production adapts to these changing conditions.

(May 2010)