Traditional Dairy Products in Retail Battle With Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives For Shelf Space, Consumer Dollars: Free Packaged Facts White Paper

The new generation of refrigerated plants milks--with almond milk and novel blends leading the dairy-free charge--represent far more dangerous competition to dairy milk than the soy milks of yore

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Jul 31, 2017, 09:21 ET

ROCKVILLE, Md., July 31, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- There's a battle brewing in the food and beverage industry, a regulatory skirmish in both Europe and the United States over dairy alternative marketers' use of dairy terms such as "milk" or "butter." The dairy discourse is examined at length in a free opinion piece from market research firm Packaged Facts entitled White Paper: Terminology Tempest in the Dairy Case.

"This is a battle for shelf space and consumer dollars," says David Sprinkle, author of the free white paper and publisher for Packaged Facts.

The recent European Union ruling against soy products marketed with dairy terminology, like the parallel regulatory skirmish in the U.S., reflects a broader "rush to the perimeter" taking place in supermarkets. Consumers increasingly seek fresh, whole, natural foods, while budging very little in the priority on convenience. The dairy and refrigerated cases are in this sweet spot, having a huge "fresh" food advantage over the shelf-stable center store, and even to a degree over the frozen food cases. Dairy and refrigerated product marketers and segments, therefore, find themselves embroiled in shelf- space battles with players and rivals that were formerly center store, plus private-label counterparts to these invaders.

The new generation of refrigerated plants milks—with almond milk and novel blends leading the dairy-free charge—represent far more dangerous competition to dairy milk than the soy milks of yore, safely tucked away in the center store, in perfunctory flavors and in shelf-stable aseptic packaging that does not signal either fresh or milk-like to U.S. consumers. What a difference refrigerated formulation and the familiar gable-top carton makes.

But it's not just dairy milk vs. dairy alternative beverages, or dairy yogurt or ice cream vs. soy/tofu versions. Product segments are mushrooming, morphing, stealing thunder from rivals, and gesticulating wildly to attract attention. With grass-fed, dairy milk is taking a page from the meat case. With the Mediterranean diet in mind, butter has been wedded to olive oil. As consumer rethinks their snack food choices, cheese marketers are co-bundling with meat snacks and nuts. With branded refrigerated guacamole dips, avocados have slid over from the fresh produce section. With refrigerated hummus spreads, chickpeas have leapt out of the center store. And meaningful branding, in the refrigerated cases, means dollars. (What's more memorable: a canned chickpea brand or a refrigerated flavored hummus brand?) Even nutrition bars and nut butters are getting chill with products such as Perfect Bar Almond Butter. And not just the product types: marketers are leaping over, too. Bolthouse Farms Protein Plus Vanilla Beans represents a newer nutritional positioning and flavor profile for parent company Campbell Soup.

The question now is who and what is next?

Where To Download FREE White Paper

Download our free presentation, White Paper: Terminology Tempest in the Dairy Case, by visiting Packaged Facts' all-in-one dairy and dairy alternatives webpage, which also features related content including our infographic, blogs, press releases, and more: https://www.packagedfacts.com/Content/Featured-Markets/Dairy-and-Dairy-Alternatives.

Providing context for the current regulatory skirmishes in Europe and the U.S., this white paper reviews:

the June 2017 European Union ruling against soyfoods marketed in dairy terms
the historical context in the West for milk adulteration and soymilk as a hard-times imitation
the web of nutritional pros and cons for dairy vs. plant products (and whether nutritional facts are really at the heart of the matter)
the consumer marketplace context for the success of current-generation refrigerated plant milks
current data on the relative nutritional consciousness of dairy alternative beverage vs. dairy milk consumers
the opportunity for dairy case growth based on meaningful and wider-ranging premium product differentiation

Find additional Packaged Facts food and beverage reports at: https://www.packagedfacts.com/food-beverage-market-c84/.

About Packaged Facts

Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, publishes market intelligence on a wide range of consumer market topics, including consumer demographics and shopper insights, consumer financial products and services, consumer packaged goods, and pet products and services. Packaged Facts also offers a full range of custom research services.

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SOURCE Packaged Facts