Fluid milk consumption has been on the decline for decades, but some milk categories are bucking that trend. In the year that ended on November 1, 2015, flavored milk came out as the real winner. According to data from Information Resources Inc. out of Chicago, Ill., flavored milk sales climbed 6 percent to $1.4 billion. Unit sales for the category, which includes flavored milk, eggnog and buttermilk, jumped 6.5 percent, to 660.5 million.
With a rekindled interest in healthy fats, people are also turning to more whole milk options. Even though whole milk dollar sales slipped 1.3 percent to $4.7 billion, unit sales rose 3.6 percent, to 1.5 billion.
Meanwhile, sales were slim for skim milk. Low-fat and skim milk dollar sales dropped 10 percent, to $9.4 billion last year. Unit sales were also down 4.8 percent, landing at 3.1 billion.
Overall, there is work to do in the fluid milk category. Milk sales were down 5.2 percent in 2015, to $17.1 billion, and unit sales dropped 0.7 percent to 5.8 billion. Still, as shown with the positive growth in both flavored and whole milk, there are windows of opportunity in fluid milk we have just started to open.
(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2016
February 15, 2016
