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There’ll be plenty of custard ‘slopped’ over Christmas puddings all over the Sunshine State come December 25th, as Queenslanders live up to their reputation as Australia’s biggest custard eaters.
Not that Queenslanders need Christmas as an excuse to eat more custard.
New figures revealed by local milk processor, Dairy Farmers, show that while each Australian eats on average about 910 grams of custard annually, the average Queenslander consumes more than 1.5kg of the product per annum.
That’s nearly double the amount consumed by people living in New South Wales, nearly double that of South Australians, and about two-and-a-half times more custard than Victorians.
Less than three weeks out from Christmas, Dairy Farmers has staff working around the clock to meet a Queensland-led surge in demand. Production has been increased by 44 per cent.
According to Emma Heasman, the Cooperative’s Dairy Foods Marketing Manager, December sales throughout Australia will more than double average monthly sales, by value and volume.
Ms Heasman said while custard sales were usually exceptional for the entire month of December, they were nothing compared to the seven days leading up to Christmas Day, when demand “goes through the roof”.
“Our sales typically quadruple in that week, compared to the first week of November, when we started to ramp up production.”
Three years after a Choice magazine taste test put Dairy Farmers Vanilla Custard at the top of the leader table for flavour and texture, the product remains a firm favourite amongst Queensland consumers.
New, easy pour and resealable packaging launched earlier this year has cemented the product’s place in Australians’ hearts and minds, according to Ms Heasman.
“Consumer feedback on the new packaging – a square paper carton topped by a plastic screw-cap and a tamper-proof seal – has been terrific. People say it’s easier to use, there’s no mess, you can re-seal it and you can be totally confident about the quality of the product.”
The popularity of custard – a traditional staple in the Australia diet since colonial times – shows no sign of abating. According to the industry’s peak body, Dairy Australia, chilled custard is a growth category.
