Focus On Yoghurts & Potted Desserts: March 31

Focus on Yoghurts and Potted Desserts by Natalie Brown

Download feature synopsis PDF here

Publishing: 31 March

Advertising deadline: 20 March

Submissions deadline: 13 March

 

The Story

If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yoghurts are onto a winner. Breakfast has contributed 12 million more occasions to the yoghurt category over the past year, as consumers tuck into Greek style pots and skyr topped with fruit and nuts for a healthy morning meal. But outside the initial meal of the day, yoghurt consumption is falling. And sugary options are worst hit, as fewer consumers see yoghurts as a ‘treat’. So how can the category tempt shoppers beyond breakfast?

 

Key themes:

Consumption patterns: Although breakfast consumption of yoghurt is growing, there has been a decline in evening meal and lunch occasions. Why is this? Is it down to Instagrammable breakfasts? And can brands/retailers do anything to boost consumption at other times?

Reformulation: As yoghurts fall under PHE’s radar in its war on sugar, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the amount of white stuff in their pots. An increasing number are looking for more natural/less processed options, which has led to a decline in volumes of typically sugary split pots. Some are cutting sugar so how rife will reformulation be over the next year?

Healthy options: By the same token, volumes of fat free, Greek style and dairy free are all up as consumers become more concerned about health benefits. (Recent headlines about yoghurt lowering heart disease risks can only help this trend.) Who is winning big?

Skyr: The health agenda has similarly been the perfect breeding ground for a raft of skyr innovations. Graham’s the Family Dairy and Danone are among the brands to have launched a skyr so far this year. What is behind this boom? What are the benefits over Greek yoghurt? And can this growth continue?

New claims: The largest driver of yoghurt consumption is health claims (e.g. fibre/vitamins). So far, protein has been the big claim. There has been a recent launch of a fibre yoghurt – so could this be the next big thing?

Yoghurt drinks: Sales have fallen, even at breakfast time. What is behind this decline?

Small desserts: Prices have gone up hugely in this sub-category. What is behind this? Is it due to more premium desserts with health claims?

Vegetable yoghurt: This was tipped to be all the rage in the Waitrose food and drink report last year. So has it materialised? Who is making vegetable yoghurts? How do you serve them? And what success have they had?

Yoghurts innovations: We identify four new products that have not appeared in The Grocer before, including launch date, RSP and an image.

Potted desserts innovations: We identify four new products that have not appeared in The Grocer before, including launch date, RSP and an image.

Key questions the feature is likely to address:

 What consumer trends have impacted the category over the past year?

 How have promotional strategies (both in terms of price and marketing) evolved?

 How have individual retailers’ strategies impacted the market?

 How has merchandising changed in the market?

 What impact has own-label had on branded players?

 What’s next for the category?