Dairy Products and Alternatives

Prepared baby food continues to generate a substantial part of baby food's current retail value sales, with glass jars and pouches being extremely popular due to the high levels of convenience they offer. As such, prepared baby food is set to…

Sales of baby food were not significantly affected by the pandemic with sales remaining relatively stable in comparison to dairy products. Demand for baby food did not experience huge fluctuations over the 2020-2022 period, albeit with volume sales…

Baby food is witnessing strong retail volume growth compared to most dairy categories, driven by the return to pre-pandemic habits. With parents returning to busy lifestyles and less time devoted to home cooking, consumers are more reliant on…

Due to inflation and growing production costs, baby food saw unit prices increase. While slow birth rates continue, the convenience and popularity of feeding babies with prepared baby food in Finland is driving sales. Parents reach for convenient…

The birth rate in France continues to fall, thereby negatively impacting retail sales of baby food. A marginal boost was expected post-pandemic, but the birth rate is now at its lowest rate since 1946, according to French National Statistics body…

The recovery of baby food’s retail volume sales, evident in 2022, is expected to continue throughout 2023, albeit at slower growth rates. The category’s resilient performance is set to be fuelled by a partial return to pre-pandemic mobility patterns.…

The low birth rate in Greece is a challenge for retail volume sales of baby food. While the price hikes in 2022 and 2023 meant that baby food is set to record a positive current retail value growth, parents are finding it difficult to afford. As…

One of the most important trends in baby food in Ireland in 2023 was the increased focus on health and wellness, which manifested most clearly in the increasing interest in clean label products and those with functional ingredients. With consumer…

Baby food is significantly affected by a high inflation rate in 2022 and 2023. The upturn in the inflation rate, which gained momentum in March 2022 and in subsequent months, is, however, on the downturn in 2023. The rush of Italian consumers to…

In 2023 baby food overall in Norway is recording a dip in retail volume sales. This trend is not isolated, however - a strong uptick in unit prices echoes the broader surge in food costs observed across various categories and product areas.…

Retail volume sales of baby food saw modest growth in 2023, continuing the trend of the previous year. Demand for milk formula in Portugal is strongly dependant on professional guidance. Consumers first make contact with medical professionals at the…

A low birth rate is behind the continuing decline of baby food sales in Spain in 2023. Spain’s birth rate is being negatively affected by economic challenges and changes in social and cultural norms. Traditional expectations of having a large family…

Baby food is facing challenges in Sweden, with the declining birth rate dampening retail volume sales. However, due to inflation and increasing production costs, baby food saw fast price rises in 2022 and continued to face growing prices at the…

A decrease in births in 2022 impacted baby food in 2023, translating into slower growth than the previous year. Breastfeeding continues to be positively encouraged in the country, with mothers being aided to continue breastfeeding for longer periods.…

The COVID-19 pandemic meant a domestic shift for many consumers. As parents found themselves confined more to their homes, mothers had more time to focus on their children, with many in the Netherlands breastfeeding their babies for more months than…

Baby food continues to recover from the pandemic-related disruptions observed in 2020. Retail volume growth is evident across milk formula and other baby food categories as busy local parents have less time to prepare food at home, and demand safe…

The average retail current unit price of baby food is set to increase considerably in 2023. Baby food is becoming less affordable during a period of very high inflation in Turkey. This is causing a sharp slowdown in retail volume growth across baby…

Following the record-high growth rates for Butter during 2022, due to inflation and the higher cost of energy, boosting price points, the average unit price of Butter slightly declined in 2023. The amount of special offers for branded butter products…

Following the pattern seen across dairy in Belgium, butter prices rose sharply in 2022, resulting in a sales decline in retail volume terms. Despite prices slowly stabilising in 2023, volume sales of butter have continued to decline, albeit at a…

Butter and spreads witnessed dynamic price increases in 2022, driven by global price inflation and an increase in global demand. As a result, some grocery retailers decreased their profit margins in order to absorb some of these costs. Moving into…

The consumption of butter and spreads continues to normalise in 2023, following the heightened demand witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Finns cooked and ate more at home. In addition, unit prices increased in 2022 and continued to do so at…

Butter benefited from the first year of home seclusion during the pandemic, with retail sales climbing as consumers cooked and baked more frequently at home. While retail volume sales continue to decline in 2023 following a notable drop the previous…

Butter has long been a staple dairy ingredient in German cuisine, with a rich history and cultural significance. After two years of pandemic-driven home seclusion, which benefited the consumption of butter as cooking and baking were adopted as…

Due to the increase in price points, general inflation, and consumers' lower disposable incomes, the demand for butter has decreased. Consumers have looked to make butter last longer, to purchase cheaper varieties or simply remove the product from…

2023 saw more stability in the average unit price of butter after steep unit price increases during 2022, which was a particularly challenging year for category players as they battled with rising production and distribution costs at a time of high…

During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, consumers found or rediscovered a passion for cooking/baking and the demand for quality, but also traditional, butter increased. Thus, COVID-19 in Italy saw demand increase strongly as consumers stocked up…

Butter and spreads in Norway continues to contract in terms of retail volume sales in 2023, with the decline driven in part by the societal return to pre-pandemic patterns and behaviour. As Norwegians embrace outdoor activities anew and reduce their…

Retail volume sales of butter and spreads remained static in 2023. Demand for such products experienced an upturn during the pandemic, when people spent more time cooking and baking at home. Butter and spreads are particularly likely to be used at…

Butter and spreads witnessed among the highest unit price growth in dairy in 2022 resulting in the category seeing double-digit growth in current value terms. However, sales plummeted in retail volume terms in 2022, even more significantly than in…

As Swedes spent more time outside homes and ate out more, the elevated need for butter and spreads, as witnessed during the pandemic, was normalised. Nonetheless, while the demand declined, the unit prices increased due to inflation and growing…

Butter and spreads posted a slight decline in 2023, with health and wellness trends continuing to negatively impact the performance, with the strong competition from healthier variants like olive oil dampening sales. Swiss consumers are increasingly…

In 2023 butter and spreads in the Netherlands is facing a rise in average unit prices, albeit at a moderated pace when compared to the previous year, 2022, with a notable deficit of milk fat in the global markets underpinning the price hikes for…

Butter and spreads continues to face substantial challenges in 2023 as the supply chain remains unstable, milk prices fluctuate, and labour remains an issue. Indeed, as feed and fertiliser prices that plateaued in September 2022 remain extremely…

In 2023, overall retail volume sales of butter and spreads are projected to see positive growth, albeit driven by the performance of margarine and spreads. Conversely, there is expected to be a drop in retail volume sales of butter, as well as a…

Austria is a country with a strong tradition of cheese-making, and the consumption of a wide range of cheese remains very popular in the country, leading cheese to account for the largest share of value sales within overall dairy products and…

Cheese is a strongly rooted, highly mature category in Belgium with it forming the basis of many meals and dishes. Following the strong growth during the peak of the pandemic, demand for cheese declined strongly both in 2021 and 2022. This was due to…

Cheese retail prices have started to fall in 2023, following the sharp spike in the previous year, leading to a slight recovery in retail volume sales. Dairy leader Arla Foods has begun to lower prices, with supermarkets and competitors following its…

Cheese received a boost in current retail value sales when COVID-19 pandemic restrictions hit Finland, with consumers bulk buying cheese for home use. In 2023, as in 2022, sales continued to normalise; nonetheless, cooking and snacking at home…

Cheese in France has experienced mixed fortunes in 2022 and 2023 following an upturn in demand during pandemic-related home seclusion in 2020. Price rises across the board are resulting in retail volume declines for many types. The notable exceptions…

Inflation has had a noticeable impact on demand for cheese in Germany, prompting consumers to substitute higher-priced cheese varieties with cheaper alternatives. After a price increase of more than 20% since the first quarter of 2022, consumers are…

Across the review period, innovation was strong on the cheese category. Until recently, Greek law mandated the pasteurisation of milk for health reasons. However, a new legislation framework across the review period allowed cheese production from raw…

2023 saw rising demand for premium cheese brands with a clear health and wellness positioning as Irish consumers became increasingly interested in products that can help them to improve their dietary intake. The desire to improve one’s diet to…

The price of cheese in Italy has risen considerably towards the end of the review period. Higher pricing has been affected by several factors. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic crisis, its aftermath, and the outbreak of war in Ukraine have had…

Cheese continues to see falling retail volume sales in Norway in 2023, though at a much slower rate than was recorded in 2022. The persistent decline in demand for cheese has been accentuated by the post-pandemic return to life outside the home and…

Cheese saw modest growth in retail volume terms in 2023, in contrast to the flat performance of the previous year. While inflationary pressures, driven by surging energy and food prices, receded slightly, demand was constrained by a loss of…

Although in general Spanish consumers reduced the frequency of their shopping trips in 2022, opting for a more planned purchases, there was no major drop in the consumption of cheese. Cheese is considered a staple in the Spanish diet and as such…

Swedes consume cheese on many occasions during the day; for breakfast with sandwiches and using it in meals, while premium cheese is often indulged on and offered on cheese platters. As such, some cheeses are specifically positioned to be indulgent…

In retail value terms, cheese was amongst the most dynamic categories in dairy in Switzerland in 2023. Aiding these figures, is the increasing variety of cheese products available in Switzerland, which is well-known for its cheese production. In…

The traditional cheese sector in the Netherlands is facing a series of challenges in 2023, with a continued dip in retail volume sales. This is the result of several factors, including soaring cheese prices leading to fewer purchases among local…

Cheese consumption suffered a substantial decline in 2022 as the impact of economic instability, supply chain issues and high inflation affected both players and consumers. Additionally, growth inflated by the pandemic and home consumption resulted…