Plant-Based, Savory Options Next Big Yogurt Trend?
The term “live and active” may just as easily apply to innovation in the yogurt category as it does to living organisms used in the product’s fermentation process.
On the heels of continual expansion and innovation — which started several years ago with kid-centric yogurts and has continued over the past few years with Greek yogurts — the marketplace remains intriguing both for those on the R&D side and those who consume yogurt.
That innovation, according to some experts, arises from the proverbial necessity of invention.
“Yogurt is an interesting segment right now, because after two decades of growth in consumption, there is some plateauing,” observes Darren Seifer, food and beverage industry analyst for The NPD Group, based in Port Washington, N.Y. “Yogurt is looking for a pocket of growth that they can latch onto, and that leads to a question in Greek and traditional yogurts: ‘What do we do next?’”
Industry research bears out a certain leveling off within the category. According to data from Chicago-based market research firm IRI, total sales of yogurt reached just over $7.4 billion for the last 52 weeks ending Sept. 10, a 2.12 percent decline from the previous year. Within the category, Greek yogurt remains strong: Greek-style yogurt sales are projected to grow 9 percent globally, with moderate growth in the U.S. market, according to a recently released report on yogurt from London-based Technavio.
Beyond Sweet
One pocket of potential growth may be in yogurts that aren’t flavored with traditional sweet ingredients like fruits. “Some manufacturers are trying to get into savory, and there are good reasons for that, because Americans are concerned about their sugar intake,” notes Seifer. “Seventy percent of adults say they want to cut back on sugar consumption.” He cautions that a gradual introduction may be needed for real growth to take off, given the fact that savory yogurts are so different in taste from sweet varieties.
Niche brands have already introduced savory items to the market. Blue Hill Yogurt, a brand that sprang out of the Blue Hill Restaurant in New York City, offers vegetable-based yogurts in carrot, sweet potato, beet, butternut squash, tomato and parsnip varieties, made with milk from 100 percent grass-fed cows. Meanwhile, Sohha Savory Yogurt, also of New York, which temporarily halted production last summer, is planning to get “back up and running in 2018” with a product line including such flavors as tangy sea salt, according to co-founders Angela and John Fout.
Global Inspirations
Another take on nontraditional yogurt flavor comes from Torrance, Calif.-based Morinaga Nutritional Foods, which has introduced an aloe-flavored yogurt called Alove. The first yogurt of its kind sold in the United States, the Japanese-style product combines yogurt with the tender parts of the aloe vera leaf. The brand offers basic aloe yogurt as well strawberry aloe and blueberry aloe varieties.