2019 State of the Beverage Industry: Dairy category benefits from flexible consumers
New forms of alternative milks emerge
Beverages crafted with health and wellness in mind have been permeating the market, and dairy drinks and dairy alternatives are no exception. As consumers trend toward beverages fortified with protein, whether animal-based or plant-based, the dairy category is benefiting from consumers being flexible about their protein source.
Recently, more and more consumers are embracing a “flexitarian” lifestyle and consuming both animal-based dairy and plant-based dairy alternatives. “We talk about flexitarian and folks not fully going to veganism, but from a holistic health standpoint consumers are trying to be much more balanced in their diets,” said John Crawford, vice president of client insights for dairy at Chicago-based Information Resources Inc. (IRI), in Beverage Industry’s November 2018 issue. Crawford added that half of consumers reported drinking dairy and dairy alternatives like almond milk.