Western Europe

High inflation and increasing prices are the main factors impacting the performance of dairy products and alternatives in 2023. Turkey has already been experiencing a high inflationary phase, with the rate of inflation rising dramatically in…

Against a backdrop of soaring global prices, the Netherlands' dairy industry is dealing with surging costs. Energy prices, along with those of wheat and other essential grains, are showing no signs of abating in 2023. Moreover, the skyrocketing…

2023 saw pressure on demand across all categories of dairy products and alternatives in Ireland as the high inflation that swept across Europe during 2022 continued, albeit at a lower rate. This led to volume sales declines across most categories of…

Dairy products and alternatives witnessed a significant decline in retail volume terms in 2022 for the second year running with inflation driving price increases and putting pressure on consumers’ available income. As a result, total volume sales…

In 2023, cheese is projected to register positive, if more moderate, retail volume growth, stimulated by the marketing investments. In 2022-2023, cheese has witnessed a series of innovative product launches and strategic marketing initiatives aimed…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Yoghurt and sour milk products recorded positive growth in 2023, with the introduction of more sophisticated products helping to sustain sales growth in spite of the highly competitive retail environment. In Switzerland, yoghurt and sour milk…

In 2023 in Norway yoghurt and sour milk continues to post negative retail volume sales growth, though the decline is slowing. Low demand is a result of changes in consumption patterns with fewer occasions rooted in home cooking and traditional…

Plant-based dairy sales continued to post strong growth in Switzerland in 2023. Despite this positive performance, growth was relatively modest compared to the record growth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In terms of retail volume sales, plant-based milk continued to fall in Norway in 2023, though at a much slower rate than in 2022; further, its decline was not as deep as that of its traditional dairy counterpart. Key drivers of plant-based milk’s…