Tapping into longer term trends for growth
Despite the pandemic, sustainability remained high on the agenda in 2020, and brands across dairy and dairy alternatives made efforts to demonstrate their green credentials. Yeo Valley, in sixth place in the ranking, made big strides in this area by moving to 100% recycled plastic on its super thick yoghurt pots, removing the lids from cream, and adopting recyclable packaging for its kerned yoghurts. Centering on sustainability is one way brands have provided a point of difference. Government, retailers and consumers will continue to push brands to improve their impact on the planet.
Plant-based alternatives continue to be a major force in the dairy aisle, as demonstrated by Alpro maintaining its number three position in the ranking for three consecutive years. The consistent growth in dairy alternatives is particularly powered by innovations coming to market. Capitalising on this ever-growing trend was Flora, which climbed two places in the ranking to number seven, helped by the launch of its plant-based butter alternative [see brand focus]. Elmlea, which launched a plant based-cream in late 2019, climbed one place in the ranking to position 15 and grew CRPs 12%.
In the context of the pandemic, for many of us, our physical and mental health has became a more pressing concern. This year we see evidence of consumers looking to strengthen their immune system through food, and brands rose to the challenge of satisfying this need. Actimel is one brand with strong credentials in this area, and shoppers turned to it during the pandemic. The brand grew CRPs 20% and climbed two places in the ranking to reach position 17.
Flora increased CRPs 14% compared with 2019, coming in at number seven on the ranking this year. The brand launched a plant-based block butter alternative to tap into the ever-growing trend. Moreover, by making the product’s wrapping 100% biodegradable, the brand further signalled its commitment to sustainability. The launch was supported by a national marketing campaign as well as through social media. The new launch reached over a quarter of million households in its first four months.
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