Trends for 2016
This year, what are the big trends we will be seeing in dairy? On a macro level, dairy pricing will continue to further be influenced by global events. Now that more and more dairy is on the move across borders, what the neighbouring country gets up to is ever more important to the dairy processor, even if your products don’t cross the borders. Dairy strikes me as being the new oil for some countries.
On a product level, trends such as savoury yogurts and bubble tea are emerging as consumers expand their options in the dairy aisle. Consumers will get their five a day, but the fruit and vegetable is as likely to be in a dairy product as it is to be consumed on its own.
Also, I think full-fat will continue the march into consumer refrigerators, whether it is a dairy beverage, butter or yogurt. But especially the latter. The research is proving almost irresistible to the average person, and the rise of demand for natural products means that the products that can offer clean labels and benefits for health will win out. One of the key benefits for dairy is that it goes through less processing than other alternatives, such as soy or almond. It is also more environmentally-friendly – the water cost alone for producing almonds means that this ingredient is likely to suffer setbacks.
Now, the challenge for processors is to keep dairy products looking good and appealing until they’re consumed. The ingredients manufacturers have shifted focus from making everything low-fat to providing the best stabilising systems for full-fat products, and we will see more of those in the coming year. But they have to be natural, and provide a clean label. Consumers demand nothing less, and it’s the price of entry into the market.
