As cheese consumption grows, so does the production of whey and permeate. A new process can now turn these waste by-products into valuable end products. In the last few years, world cheese consumption has rocketed, and the Europeans have remained the largest consumers of cheese, with demand rising 10 percent a year since 1997 and now standing at 5.7 million tonnes. In the same period, demand in the North American market has risen by 17 percent to 4.5 million tonnes per year. The Asian market has also seen substantial growth, although from a lower base rate, of 36 percent per year. Demand there now stands at 309,000 tonnes per year.
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