The growing trend towards healthy living presents an opportunity for the development of yoghurt drinks as a key dietary product. People increasingly want to know more about the ingredients of the products they consume. Many consumers are looking for natural alternatives to processed products.
There are several yoghurt drink benefits in terms of marketing opportunities to meet consumer demand for the manufacturer, in addition to the health benefits of drinking yoghurt for the consumer. In the past, yoghurt was seen as a fruit-flavoured lunchbox snack that was not very exciting. Today, marketing strategies have successfully promoted the health benefits of drinking yoghurt. There is now a large range of yoghurt drinks on the market.
Why the yoghurt drink market is growing
According to Allied Market Research, the global yoghurt drink market was worth $34 billion in 2021 and is estimated to grow to $62.8 billion by 2031. This growth projection demonstrates consumer desire for a healthy, nutritious drink that has the convenience of a snack. Today, yoghurt drinks represent 45% of the world’s yoghurt market.
There are several reasons why drinkable yoghurt has been a success over the past few years:
- Consumer lifestyle – ‘on the go’ yoghurt drinks are the perfect alternative to a chocolate bar – they make you feel full and can be drunk in minutes.
- Increased awareness of the benefits of raising immunity levels because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers want to do all they can to stay healthy. Yoghurt drinks contain minerals that can strengthen immunity.
- The growing health and fitness trend (Such as counting steps, becoming vegetarian, going to the gym, and so on). People want to feel good and look after their bodies.
- The wide range of health information available on the Internet means we are more aware of what we eat and drink.
Which is the target market?
Protein-enhanced yoghurt drinks are a popular choice for all kinds of target groups because of their many health benefits. The most common target groups are:
- Children and their parents – As they are easy to pack into a lunch box or backpack, yoghurt drinks make the ideal break-time snack or recreational drink. They encourage children to consume healthy products from a young age. Yoghurt drinks can also be seen as an alternative to sweets, or even fruit which can contain sugar.
- Sportspeople – Many sportspeople, not just bodybuilders, monitor their protein intake to enhance muscle strength and fitness.
- Elderly people – Who may be suffering from muscle loss or undernutrition due to not eating enough.
- Office workers – A yoghurt drink can provide a much-needed boost during the day, especially at low productivity points when performance drops.
- Snackers – People who tend to eat a snack mid-morning or afternoon (or both) out of habit. Yoghurt drinks are also aimed at people who miss breakfast, as they are a handy solution to just grab from the fridge and drink on the go.
- The ill or injured – A yoghurt drink is a viable alternative for anyone who has lost their appetite or is unable to eat solid food due to illness or injury.
Why drinkable yogurt is a consumer trend
In addition to being a convenient snack, healthy yoghurt drinks have many benefits which include:
- Prevention of bone diseases such as osteoporosis – Yoghurt drinks can contain added protein, calcium, and vitamin D, which all play a part in bone health.
- Immunity strength – Yoghurt drinks have a high mineral content of compounds such as magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, and selenium. Boosting the immune system fights inflammation, which is one of the causes of diseases like cancer and diabetes.
- Assisting digestion – Drinkable probiotic yoghurt can help many gastric problems such as bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
- Suppressing hunger – Yoghurt drinks are filling, which makes them a much better choice than cakes or biscuits.
- Helping weight loss – Yoghurt drinks make you feel fuller for longer, so you may consume fewer calories and won´t put on weight.
- A cooling effect on the body – An example of this is adding yoghurt to a hot curry. This is beneficial in hot countries when sugary drinks quench the thirst quickly but don´t cool down the body overall.
- Reducing the occurrence of depression, eczema, and some allergies due to the probiotics (live bacteria) in yoghurt drinks.
- Possibly preventing heart disease by controlling blood pressure and reducing cholesterol. Evidence suggests that this is due to the vitamins B12 and riboflavin that are found in yoghurt drinks.
Most drinkable yoghurts contain high levels of protein, making them a healthy snack or breakfast alternative. The dairy in yoghurt drinks is enhanced with proteins, which meets the market demand for a healthy product that’s easy to consume anywhere. Ingredia’s Promilk® Yogfluid has been specifically developed to support the growing yoghurt drink market and replicates the creaminess of regular yoghurt in a drink.
However, any yoghurt product, whether drinkable or created as a desert, is only as healthy as the ingredients it contains.
Are yoghurt drinks good for you?
If there are no added sugars or artificial flavours, then yoghurt drinks are good for you. The range of flavours and varieties of yoghurt drinks is likely to grow as manufacturers develop more innovative products. These products are developed to meet the needs of our increasingly health-conscious society.
This makes Promilk® Yogfluid an ideal solution for any organisation that wishes to develop a healthy yoghurt drink with the benefit of added protein.
A product that can be easily improve
The difference between regular and drinkable yoghurt is the consistency of the product. Drinking yoghurt is much thinner than regular yoghurt as it is blended into a liquid, sometimes with the addition of water. The result can be enhanced with an ingredient such as Promilk® Yogfluid to make it tastier and more aesthetically appealing to the consumer and adding value for the manufacturer/retailer, making it more profitable. This protein is highly functional and enables good fluidity in drinkable yogurt, giving it a pleasant consistency.
Drinkable yoghurts are an excellent source of protein, which helps the body’s metabolism to perform efficiently. Adding protein during the manufacturing of a yoghurt drink makes it more marketable as a health management product.
The influence of clean labelling on yoghurt drinks
Today’s health-conscious consumers are “label aware”. They are looking for no-added-sugar, high-protein products that can increase their nutrient intake. They want to see ingredients they recognise on the products they buy, rather than unfamiliar chemical names. There is a psychological belief that if a chemical number appears on a product, then it’s bad for you, even though this may not be the case. Research shows that 46% of consumers would be more likely to choose a brand with natural ingredients[1] that they are familiar with.
‘Clean label’ is a recognised industry term for a product that consumers perceive as healthy because it contains natural ingredients. It follows the concept of clean and healthy living and the consumption of not only natural but also sustainable ingredients.
Ingredia adheres to the clean label concept when undertaking product development to ensure every ingredient meets consumers’ expectations. This creates products that are:
- Natural – Not processed and ideally from a single source.
- Simple, clear, and familiar – Easily understandable without the addition of chemicals with long complicated names.
- Transparent – Providing details of the supply chain and the geographical origin.
- Local – From the country where it was produced to help protect the environment.
- Sustainable and ethical – Providing adequate and fair working conditions and ensuring optimum quality animal husbandry.
- Healthy – Benefits the well-being of the consumer.
The dairy industry is experiencing an increased demand for clean label products as the public becomes more health orientated. People now closely read the labels of the products they buy so they can be more informed about what they are consuming. Understanding the nutritional value of everything we put into our bodies is becoming increasingly popular. This applies especially to yoghurt drinks.
Yoghurt drinks and innovative milk proteins Promilk® Yogfluid
The protein product Promilk® Yogfluid meets consumer demand for a natural product. It has been developed by Ingredia as a specific ingredient for yoghurt drinks. Consumers are constantly looking for new, innovative products that are pleasing to the tastebuds and deliver real health benefits. A quick look at the dairy shelves of any major supermarket demonstrates the popularity of yoghurt drinks available. Consumers can choose from a wide selection of flavours.
The creamy texture and drinkability of this dairy protein make it a valuable ingredient for the creation of a satisfying healthy snack with a pleasant taste. Consumers want a yoghurt drink that doesn´t have a bitter, sour taste. Some manufacturers add sugar and flavours to overcome this. Promilk® Yogfluid provides an appealing flavour without the need for unhealthy additives. The brand has been developed to deliver a natural taste which appeals to all age groups.
Due to its unique properties, Promilk® Yogfluid can add up to 12% protein to a product, which is a key marketing benefit and boosts the creaminess rather than the fat content.
High added-value proteins such as Promilk® or Prodiet® could help improve recipes.
Sources
https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/drinking-yoghurt-market
https://www.ift.org/news-and-publications/blog/2018/november/what-is-clean-label
https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/benefits-yoghurt
Ingredia white paper – Clean label solutions
Ingredia infographics – Be clean and Drinking yoghurts
[1] Be clean infographic
