The functional dairy market in Germany continued to grow in 2000 with an 8.2% increase in overall sales.
Similar growth is expected in the future, according to market research agency AC Nielsen. Already, an estimated 60% of households in Germany buy probiotic dairy products. Sales in this sector have grown steadily for five years now, including a 4% surge in 2000.
The overall figures hide sales drops for probiotic cream and cheeses. Sales of fruit yogurts and drinking yogurts, however, which represent over 40% of functional dairy food sales, increased by 22.7%.
There were also winners and losers within the more traditional spooned-yogurt probiotic sector. Sales of natural yogurt steadily lost favour, with an 18% fall in sales in 2000 compared with the previous year. The clear winners were fruit flavoured yogurts with a sales increase on the year of 12.9%.
Despite this growth, Nielsen claimed that the amount of chiller cabinet shelf space being given to functional food products in supermarkets failed to grow in line with the popularity of the products. Another problem is that 40% of smaller grocers in Germany have not yet introduced probiotic dairy products to their ranges.