DSM: Flavored Milk Drinks Could Benefit From Sugar Reduction

30 Nov 2015 --- At Food Ingredients Europe in Paris this week, DSM will launch its third report in its Global Insight Series, focusing on sugar reduction in flavored milk. Based on an international consumer survey, the report zooms in on consumer preferences and trends. It reveals that flavored milk consumption is soaring and is not limited to children alone, as adults are also embracing these dairy beverages. Better taste and more flavor varieties are important in further stimulating demand, as well as addressing concerns on the sugar content in their dairy products.

DSM’s survey, conducted in the U.S., China, Brazil, Spain and Germany, shows that nearly a quarter of adults (24%) and 41% of their children reported daily consumption of flavored milk. It has proven to be the beverage of choice especially for consumers in Brazil and the U.S. who drink it on a daily basis. The year on year market growth between 2010-2015 is 13%, demonstrating the increased consumption of flavored milk products. Adults are embracing flavored milk types, such as chilled café latte-style drinks or post-work out dairy beverages, where taste (55%) and bone health (41%) are the main attractions for flavored milk. In China, the functional benefits are more important, as 43% of the participants see gastrointestinal health as the main driver.

The survey respondents also indicate that they would increase their consumption in the next three years, 29% of adults and 50% of their children respectively. Six out of ten consumers are concerned about the amount of sugar in dairy. Better taste (34%) and more flavor varieties (28%) are indicated most often as reasons to further increase consumption of sugar-reduced flavored milk beverages.

The findings support that flavored milk is an ideal vehicle for creating healthy and nutritious dairy products for all ages and different lifestyles. Innovation can be driven by creating tastier products, bringing more varieties to the market which are lower in sugar.

DSM has an enzyme- and culture- based sugar reduction system for dairy on offer. With the help of enzymes, more of the sweetness that is naturally present in dairy products can be enhanced, creating a preferred sweet taste with less or no added sugar. Combined with dairy cultures, the texture and mouthfeel of the yogurt is retained and provides stability over shelf-life. Furthermore, DSM is working on a fermentative sweetener platform to bring flexible, reliable and sustainable Stevia to the food and beverage industry.

As part of its drive to help the food industry improve their processes and deliver healthy, tasty and attractive products to consumers, DSM launched its Global Insight Series in 2013. The series investigates consumers’ perceptions and attitudes around food, taste and their perceived buying behavior. The series aims to ask those obvious questions which are rarely asked, providing customer insights into the perceptions behind the big food trends. The survey is done worldwide in multiple markets, representing the continents with a focus on emerging markets and their comparison to mature markets.