Dairy Products and Alternatives

Technological advances in 2024 will continue to reshape consumer behaviour. This annual report explores the top five digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this report’s edition…

The briefing examines how the milk commodity performs globally and in the largest countries in terms of supply and production. The report also provides data and analysis on milk price dynamics, as well as trends across key commodity consuming…

Sales of yoghurt were particularly hard hit by the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with volume sales plummeting. For many people, yoghurt is not included in their core basket of goods and therefore in response to the challenges presented by…

Local brand Bob Snail is already known in Ukraine, especially by parents, due to its range of healthy sweets\snacks that are made from fruit-based ingredients. However, the brand has now branched out into offering plant-based yoghurt made from…

Although other dairy saw heavy losses in retail volume terms in 2022 due to the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the category did not see such a sharp decline as some other areas of dairy. A major factor behind this was the more stable…

When it comes to drinking milk products sales are dominated by cow’s milk. Cow’s milk has maintained relatively stable per capita consumption in Ukraine with it being a core basket product. The sharp drop in volume sales seen in 2022 was the result…

Sale of dairy products and alternatives in Ukraine are being significantly impacted by the war and inflation in 2023. Besides the loss of consumers and territories, the market also faces other obstacles including consumers downtrading to cheaper…

The war has taken its toll on the local economy with disposable income in most households being squeezed. As a result, some price-sensitive consumers are downtrading when it comes to shopping for cheese. For instance, some consumers are shifting to…

In June 2022 Ukrainian dairy manufacturers were granted duty-free exports to the EU for one year. This was extended for one more year in 2023 as part of ongoing efforts to support Ukraine’s economy while it continues to cope with the impact of…

Baby food suffered heavy losses in 2022 as large numbers of families fled the country following Russia’s invasion. The category’s recovery in 2023 continues to be limited by the significantly smaller consumer base for these products. Besides which,…

Flavoured yoghurt is the fastest growing category in yoghurt and sour milk products. Consumers are looking for new flavour variations to enrich their diets and to sustain their interest. As a result, in addition to long standing popular fruity and…

Health and wellness trends continue to drive consumption of yoghurt and sour milk products in 2023. Plain yoghurt is very popular in North Macedonia due to its use as an everyday ingredient to prepare healthy meals and snacks. Younger consumers…

Plant-based dairy is growing in both volume and value sales. An increased number of vegans in the population and growing numbers of people who suffer from allergies or food intolerance are forcing consumers towards dairy-free diets. This in turn is…

Mlekarna Celeia is a leading player in the category with a wide range of products for adults and children. Zott’s Monte brand is also performing well, launching new products with no added sugar, attracting more health-orientated consumers. Private…

Other dairy is witnessing robust growth in 2023 thanks to rising unit prices, as a result of inflationary pressure, coupled with relatively stable and uninterrupted consumer demand for products in this particular category. The prevalence of home…

Shelf-stable milk is growing at a faster rate than fresh milk. Driven by hectic lifestyles and limited time, consumers are increasingly opting to buy milk in bulk that they can keep on their shelves at home until it is consumed thanks to its longer…

In 2023, increased fodder prices have driven up unit prices of locally sourced raw milk, as well as the price of domestic and regional drinking milk brands. Nonetheless, consumer demand remains stable due to the abundance of locally and regionally…

The health and wellness trend is driving the development of dairy products in Slovenia. Fat free or no added sugar products are popular and will likely remain a trend for the first few years of the forecast period. Cheese and yoghurt are perceived as…

Dairy products and alternatives is witnessing a slowdown in retail volume growth and strong current value growth in 2023, amidst strong inflationary pressure and rising unit prices of dairy products. Production costs have remained high since the…

The cheese category is growing in volume and value terms. Inflation is driving the value growth of the category while the functional and health effects provided by consuming cheese are driving the volume growth of the category, where spreadable…

In the face of rising prices, cheese consumption remains stable in retail volume terms as this product range remains a popular item in everyday cuisine. Its versatility is a key reason for such high demand, as it can be used in preparing various…

Butter and cooking fats are declining in volume terms due to growing health awareness. Considerable publicity in the media is raising awareness about the unhealthy effects of butter and fats. Health experts identified butter as one of the key…

The butter and spreads category is seeing marginal volume decline in 2023 as inflationary pressures continue to take its toll. While margarine and spreads continues to decline in retail volume terms, butter is growing moderately despite the shrinking…

Milk formula is contracting in volume terms overall due to the declining birth rate and stronger promotion of breastfeeding. Much of the latter has been facilitated by the establishment of a special association that supports breastfeeding. There is…

Baby food is witnessing marginal declines in retail volume terms, due to the falling birth rate and negative population trends in Macedonia. The declining numbers of live births to Macedonian women in recent years has limited demand for baby food,…

Retail volume sales of yoghurt saw a modest decline in 2023, albeit at a slower rate than the previous year. This was due to the fact that Slovak households still felt the full impact of high inflation and cut but back on non-essential expenditure.…

As Serbians returned to pre-pandemic lifestyles in the latter half of the review period, retail volume sales of yoghurt and sour milk was pushed into decline. In 2023, consumers are still spending more time outside of the home and are enjoying eating…

Yoghurt and sour milk products is facing the cross-category trends of value sales being driven by increased unit prices, with volume sales in a slump. The growth of average unit prices in 2023 is a consequence of high inflation, a deficit of raw milk…

Yoghurt and sour milk products registered a negative retail volume sales performance in 2023 and this can be attributed largely to the non-essential status of these products. Unlike cheese and drinking milk products, yoghurt has never been seen as an…

Plant-based dairy products continued to gain popularity in Slovakia in 2023, although the rate of growth in retail volume terms was much slower than that seen during the first half of the review period. Demand is being driven by a growing number of…

Plant-based dairy is the winner in 2023, enjoying healthy volume growth and strong value sales alike. This positive dynamic is supported by the fact that plant-based dairy in Romania is growing from a relatively small base. While plant-based dairy…

Plant-based dairy recorded a positive sales performance towards the end of the review period, although growth rates during 2022 and 2023 were considerably slower than what was registered earlier in the review period. While demand for plant-based…

Other dairy registered relatively modest growth in retail volume terms in 2023, following the declines of the previous two years. High unit prices, combined with a slowly recovering foodservice industry, following the easing of pandemic restrictions,…

The return to pre-pandemic lifestyles is encouraging on-the-go consumption of other dairy products. Retail volume sales of chilled dairy desserts and chilled snacks are both benefitting from this trend, since they are considered good snacking…

Other dairy is seeing value growth driven by price hikes associated with elevated costs, while volume is in a slump due to consumers’ weakened purchasing power in the inflationary context. Cream is the most important subcategory in other dairy, thus…

Other dairy registered static retail volume growth in 2023 as reasonably consistent demand was seen in the most important other dairy categories of cream, fromage frais and quark and chilled snacks, where the traditional product sureliai holds sway.…

Drinking milk products in Slovakia saw a sluggish performance in retail volume terms in 2023, continuing the trend of the previous year. This was partly due to high raw milk and energy costs, which had a negative impact on retail prices. This led to…

Milk production in Serbia is facing significant challenges in 2023. The decrease in the production of raw milk has led to a shortage of milk on retail shelves since the third quarter of 2022, with several Serbian regions facing a shortage of raw…

In an overarching cross-category trend, drinking milk products is seeing value growth supported by high unit prices driven by costs, alongside volume slumping in a price-sensitive environment. Indeed, unit prices at shelf level have been driven up by…

2023 saw further fluctuations in the retail volume sales performance of drinking milk products in Lithuania as demand contracted after positive growth was recorded in 2022. This followed a negative retail volume performance in 2021 after positive…

Thriftier shopping habits continued to impact retail volume sales of dairy products and alternatives in 2023. Despite the implementation of government measures aimed at reducing the impact of energy prices on Slovak households, the rate of inflation…

In 2023, daily lifestyles returned to greater normality in terms of freedom of movement after the COVID-19 pandemic. Busier consumer lifestyles out of the home underpinned an increase in on-the-go consumption and the return to foodservice outlets.…

The performance of dairy products and alternatives in 2023 remains under the impact of still-high inflation and the pushed up costs of living which significantly affect a large part of the population in Romania. In fact, 2023 witnesses a continuation…

Negative overall retail volume growth was recorded across dairy products and alternatives in 2023 as the industry saw falling demand as a result of high inflation and significant unit price increases at a time of significant increases being seen in…

Retail volume sales of cheese continued to decline in 2023, albeit at a lower rate than the previous year. Growth was hampered by inflationary pressures, which made it harder for Slovak households to afford to consume the product on a daily basis.…

The local cheese industry is facing challenges in 2023, as imported products are favoured by retailers. In February 2023, the Serbian government introduced an import duty of 30 dinars per kilogram of cheese to protect domestic production from the…

Cheese is experiencing the cross-category trend of value being supported by high prices, whereas volume is being suppressed by low consumer spending power in the inflationary context. The overall volume declines in cheese are also the consequence of…

Cheese recorded stagnant retail volume growth in Lithuania during 2023, although value growth was still exceptional in current terms as the impact of high inflation boosted unit prices and value sales significantly, albeit at a slower pace than…

Retail volume sales of butter began to recover in 2023, following a steep decline in the previous year. The latter was due mainly to rising raw milk and energy prices, which had an impact on production costs, and ultimately, unit prices With high…

In 2023, butter and spreads continue to register strong current value growth, but minimal volume growth. High inflation, amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, is dampening retail volume sales. The slight volume growth is driven mainly by butter, which is…