Eastern Europe

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 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…

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.…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

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…

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 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,…

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…

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 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…

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…