Yogurts appeal beyond gut health, as coconut options gain in popularity

25-Oct-2024 - Last updated on 25-Oct-2024 at 12:23 GMT

Source: Getty Images/ Frazao Studio Latino

Consumers are buying yogurt for more than gut health benefits, including for protein and indulgence, as shoppers turn to coconut-based as their preferred plant-based yogurt despite general slowdowns in the category, per research from market research company Spate.

"While the overall yogurt category remains stable, consumer interest is shifting toward better-for-you options focused on gut health, high protein, and low-calorie attributes, with functional trends like high protein in yogurt overall and probiotic in drinkable yogurt driving growth. TikTok is fueling new ways to incorporate yogurt into desserts and smoothies, while plant-based yogurts face mixed signals, with coconut yogurt emerging as a bright spot amid declining non-dairy searches,” Alyssa Williams, category insights manager for food and beverage at Spate, told FoodNavigator-USA.

From indulgence to better-for-you: Yogurt fits a multi-functional need

Overall, yogurt category sales grew 7% to of $10.9 billion in the year ending Sept. 29, with units up 4.1% in units, making it the third fastest growing dairy category, according to Circana Integrated Fresh MULO data shared in a recent International Deli Dairy Bakery Association webinar. Yogurt unit growth was only surpassed by cottage cheese and refrigerated whipped topping, growing units by 12.9% and 6.1%, respectively, for the same period.

Yogurt Google search traffic declined 2.9% year-over-year, but mentions on TikTok increased 7.1%, according to Spate data that tracks social media engagement and mentions for the year ending in October.

“Top-related hashtags such as #icecream, #cake, #smoothie and #cheesecake signal consumers are looking for ways to incorporate yogurt into baking and dessert recipes,” Williams said.

Also, consumers are searching “yogurt” and “high protein” together more frequently, with the combination growing 61.8% year-over-year on Google. Additionally, consumers increasingly searched the words “yogurt” and “calories” together, with the combination growing 61.8% year-over-year, “suggesting an overall concern with general wellness” from consumers, Williams noted.

Yogurt is still strongly associated with gut health, with “yogurt” and “gut health” together increasing 95.4% in Google search results since last year, Williams noted. “Gut health” as a standalone search term increased 8.7% on Google and 78.5% on TikTok year-over-year, she added.

Drinkable yogurts grow, while plant-based options struggle

On-the-go functional is driving up demand for the overall yogurt and probiotic drink market. The yogurt and probiotic drink market was worth $8.4 billion, with yogurts comprising 71.6% of the market in 2022, according to Grand View Research data. The market also is expected to grow by 8.7% CAGR from 2023 to 2030.

“For drinkable yogurts, we can see search data is experiencing a lift (19%) year-over-year with top search queries being ‘yogurt drink,’ ‘Chobani yogurt drink,’ ‘Korean yogurt drink’ and ‘probiotic yogurt drink,'” Williams said.

Consumer engagement with plant-based yogurt is slumping, as various plant-based categories — including plant-based meat — struggle to entice shoppers.

“We do see a 6.8% decline in search data for non-dairy yogurt year-over-year overall, though within this category, coconut yogurt specifically sees a slight increase (increasing 2.5% year-over-year) in search data suggesting a preference for this non-dairy yogurt variety among consumers,” Williams said.