Generating healthy growth
In part two of our Driving Dairy series, we explore how dairy is competing and meeting the demand for health and wellbeing products
In part one of our series, we saw that, despite strong competition from plant-based alternatives, demand for dairy remains strong. Production has risen, the use of resources has dropped and paying close attention to trends has kept dairy in the public’s mind. Now, we’ll take a closer look at a few of these key trends and see how dairy is using its natural benefits and targeted marketing to continue reaching new consumers.
Playing to its strengths
It’s hard to read the latest health and wellness story without coming across terms such as, ‘made from natural ingredients’, ‘high in protein’, and ‘probiotics for digestive wellness’. The dairy industry knows this only too well and has positioned itself at the forefront of the health and wellness trend by targeting those seeking these benefits for a healthy lifestyle.
A healthy perception
Once portrayed as containing unhealthy animal fats, dairy has managed to overcome this stigma to become a mainstay, in one form or the other, among the health and fitness crowd. In fact, the global Health and Wellness Dairy Market was valued at €153 billion in 2017 and continues to grow and expand into new markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
To achieve this growth, the dairy industry has had to respond to the increased demand for clean-label products. Consumers now regularly take into account and seek out labels displaying products as organic, free from hormones or genetic modifications, eco-friendly and made from natural ingredients – the perception being that natural is always better. For instance, in recent years, sales of organic dairy products have seen double-digit annual growth.
And as the market becomes more and more fragmented from various consumer desires and requests, the dairy industry has had to tailor its offering to fill the numerous categories. In turn, this has led to a boom in product research and development.
Something for everyone
Walk down any dairy aisle in your local grocery store, and you’re sure to notice the abundance of choices to meet every consumer want. For milk options alone, consumers can take their pick of a wide range of milk from fat to skimmed to lactose-free. And manufacturers have further added to milk’s diverse appeal by fortifying it with additives such as Vitamin D or enriching it with additional protein.
It’s not just milk
Similarly, to milk products adapting to every need, products like yoghurts, cheese and fermented milk have been customised with different flavours for different tastes. In the future, we can expect an increase in demand for these items and further research and development toward the expansion of similar products.
Furthermore, emerging and established markets can expect more customisation surrounding the packaging of these products, as the industry supplies more targeted offerings for every type of consumer – from office workers to school children.
Health and wellness with SIG
Curious to see how SIG is helping brands and producers meet health and fitness trends? Our drinksplus solution allows for nutritious particulates to be added to products like drinking yoghurts, whey drinks, wellness vegetable drinks, and more. This means you quickly expand your product line, open up new dairy categories and get even more value out of your filling machine.
Don’t miss the third part of our Driving Dairy series when we'll further explore the topic of high protein milks and protein enriched products – including why their demand is growing and who’s fuelling it.
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- February 18, 2021