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DSM publishes yogurt report

DSM has published the results of a survey it conducted on the international perception of yogurt amongst 6,000 men and women  in Brazil, China, France, Poland, Turkey as well as the USA. Among its conclusions are that, encouragingly for yogurt manufacturers, more than half (53%) of consumers surveyed reported eating more yogurt today than they […]

DSM has published the results of a survey it conducted on the international perception of yogurt amongst 6,000 men and women  in Brazil, China, France, Poland, Turkey as well as the USA.

Among its conclusions are that, encouragingly for yogurt manufacturers, more than half (53%) of consumers surveyed reported eating more yogurt today than they did three years ago. This increase in consumption is being led by the emerging markets, with 61% of consumers in Brazil and 67% in China eating more. However, even a mature yogurt market such as Turkey is reporting that 60% of their consumers surveyed eat more yogurt today than three years previously.

When it comes to eating more yogurt than before, almost six in every 10 families who have children under the age of 16 are doing so, compared to less than half of singletons (59% versus 44%, respectively). Furthermore, it is families with children under 16 who are most likely to eat yogurt daily. This may be due to the perception of yogurt as a healthy food packed with protein and calcium which is good for growing youngsters and the convenience of yogurt as a quick and easy snack or addition to a meal for busy families. In addition, packaging innovations such as yogurt pouches have been introduced to cater to the child-friendly market.

While most (86%) yogurt eaters tuck into the food at least once a week, some groups of consumers make it part of their daily diet. Further illustrating the popularity of yogurt with families, the survey revealed that 35% of those with children under the age of 16 consume yogurt daily compared to 22% of singletons. Women are more likely than men to make yogurt part of their daily diet: 36% of women have a yogurt a day versus 26% of men.

There were also strong regional trends in frequency of consumption, perhaps reflecting national cuisines and traditional uses of yogurt. For example, over half of yogurt eaters in Turkey – where yogurt is an important part of several traditional savoury dishes – eat the food on a daily basis. A similar number of French yogurt consumers also eat it daily. The picture is very different in the USA and China. Although two-thirds of the Chinese consumers surveyed eat more yogurt today than they did three years ago, just 6.5% eat yogurt daily. In the USA, yogurt is part of the daily diet for only 20% of consumers and 14% eat the food less than once a month.

The majority of survey respondents – excluding those from France – see yogurt as a snack to bridge the gap between one meal and the next. This trend is led by women with 67% of those surveyed snacking on yogurt compared to 57% of men. For health conscious consumers with busy lives, yogurt offers a convenient ‘stop gap’ food that can be enjoyed without sacrificing healthy eating principles.

Breakfast emerges as a key time for yogurt to shine in some markets. While 57% of Brazilian and 59% of yogurt eaters from the USA consume the food as part of the first meal of the day, only 25% of Turkish respondents would eat it for breakfast. Some dairy manufacturers are already embracing the potential of the breakfast market by introducing new options that combine dairy and grains in a single serving for maximum breakfast convenience and appeal, such as Greek-style yogurt with oats. Highlighting the differences between markets, 87% of people in France eat yogurt not as a snack but as a dessert. France is a very mature yogurt market in which behaviours and norms around yogurt consumption are likely to be more entrenched and less fluid than those in the emerging markets.

“It is difficult to think of a more dynamic food than yogurt or one that is used by consumers in a wider variety of ways,” said Dominik Grabinski, Global Marketing Manager Cultures at DSM Food Specialties. “To a greater extent than almost any other product, yogurt has the ability to be consumed at breakfast, lunch or dinner and as a snack between meals. What this means for manufacturers is the opportunity to think bigger: to identify the ways in which their products are being used day-to-day and build upon these. If Chinese consumers love a yogurt product for healthy snacking, is there an opportunity to inspire them to try a yogurt as an indulgent but healthy dessert? Could the passion for drinking yogurt in some markets be translated to others like France or the US? We foresee a rich era of innovation for this desirable dairy category.”

“The really exciting thing about yogurt is its flexibility and the way in which manufacturers can work with it to create products that meet consumers’ needs,” said Mark Fahlin, Global Marketing Manager Fermented Milk Products at DSM Food Specialties. “We’ve seen this in the USA where a new focus on protein consumption has led to a spike in the sales of Greek yogurt which sits on the shelves alongside low fat options and yogurts containing substances to help lower cholesterol. In China, where digestibility is important, yogurts containing probiotics dominate the supermarket aisles. And that’s not to mention the fact that flavoured yogurts can be created using ‘hot’ new flavors like salted caramel. In summary, I think we’re heading into a new era of yogurt innovation in which new markets continue to increase consumption and established markets look again at this age-old food.”