Dairy alternative drinks are becoming so mainstream that they might soon deserve their own name, says David Sprinkle, research director and publisher of Packaged Facts, Rockville, Md.
Soymilk continues to be the most popular dairy alternative beverage today, Virginia Lee, senior research analyst at Chicago-based Euromonitor International, told Beverage Industry in its November issue.
Solazyme Roquette Nutritionals offers Almagine HL whole algalin flour, a microalgae-based ingredient that serves as a formulation alternative to dairy, soy, rice and almond milk.
Shifts among category leaders took place in the dairy alternatives market as almond milk and kefir helped contribute to category growth. The refrigerated kefir, milk substitutes and soymilk category grew 16.4 percent for $608.3 million in sales, according to SymphonyIRI Group, Chicago, for the 52 weeks ending May 15 in U.S. supermarkets, drug stores, gas and convenience stores and mass merchandise outlets, excluding Wal-Mart.
I once dreamed of baking treats for my daughter’s birthdays to take to school to share with her friends like my mother did when I was a child. When my friend told me that her children can only bring store-bought treats to school because of allergens, among other safety concerns, I was disappointed to hear that, but after reporting on the beverage and food industries for nine years, I was not surprised.
