Not milking it: Comax study highlights consumer behavior towards non-dairy

09 Feb 2018 --- Comax Flavors has released new primary research on consumers’ behavior, usage and attitudes towards Non-Dairy products, which focused on non-dairy milk, non-dairy creamer, non-dairy yogurt and non-dairy frozen dessert.

This is the sixth study of the company’s primary market research program. The Non-Dairy study was fielded in July 2017 with 1,000 US respondents aged 18-70+; half were female and the other half were male.

According to research firm Global Data, 6 percent of US consumers claim to be vegan, up from 1 percent in 2014, while an estimated 3.3 percent of adults in the US identify themselves as being vegetarian, according to a 2016 Harris Poll commissioned by The Vegetarian Resource.

“There has been a shift in consumers’ attitudes and behavior with vegetarianism, veganism, rawism and flexitarianism on the rise. We see a growing interest in plant-based products in a variety of non-dairy applications including milk, creamer, yogurt and frozen dessert. We wanted to better understand what’s happening in the non-dairy segment among the general population,” states Catherine Armstrong, Vice President of Corporate Communications for Comax Flavors.

Non-Dairy Milk Findings – Among respondents who consume “Non-Dairy Milk” N=250:

The “ingredient source” is the most important attribute driving purchase intent with half of respondents citing it.
86 percent of respondents’ drink “Almond” milk while 41 percent consume “Soy” milk compared to 38 percent who prefer “Coconut” milk.
”Vanilla” is the number one flavor consumed by all generations with almost two-thirds citing it (62 percent).
A third or more of respondents consume “Unflavored” (38 percent) and “Unsweetened” (33 percent) non-dairy milks.
More than half of respondents (54 percent) mix non-dairy milk with other products while almost half (46 percent) drink it alone.
65 percent use non-dairy milk in “Beverages” while 42 percent use it in “Sweet Preparations” and 13 percent use it in “Savory Preparations.”

Non-Dairy Yogurt Findings – Among respondents who consume “Non-Dairy Yogurt” N=250:

45 percent of respondents cite “Health Benefits” as the number one attribute they make their non-dairy yogurt purchase on.

”Almond” milk yogurt (64 percent) is the most popular ingredient source followed by “Coconut” milk yogurt (54 percent).
”Berry” (69 percent) is the number one universally consumed flavor by all generations.
57 percent of respondents consume “Tropical” flavors while 56 percent consume “Vanilla.”
19 percent of respondents consume “Vegetable” flavors.
43 percent of respondents flavor their non-dairy yogurt compared to 57 percent who do not.
47 percent of respondents use non-dairy yogurt in place of non-dairy mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese, crème fraiche and/or oil compared to 53 percent who do not.
46 percent of respondents use non-dairy yogurt in “Beverages,” 36 percent use it in “Sweet Preparations” while 26 percent use it in “Dips and Dressings” and 17 percent use it in “Savory Preparations.”

Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert Findings - Among respondents who consume “Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert” N=250:

"Flavor” is the number one driver of non-dairy frozen dessert purchases with 46 percent of respondents citing it as the most important attribute.
"Almond” milk is most popular non-dairy frozen dessert base with 68 percent of respondents citing it followed by “Coconut” milk with 62 percent citing it.
"Cashew” and “Rice” non-dairy frozen dessert bases are gaining popularity with 38 percent of respondents citing both equally.
60 percent of respondents consume “Chocolate,” making it the most popular flavor consumed by all generations.
More than half of respondents consume “Vanilla” (54 percent) and “Fruit” flavors (51 percent).
42 percent of respondents equally consume “Coffee” and “Nut” flavors.
Shy of a third of respondents (32 percent) consume “Indulgent” flavors.
”Mint” flavors are consumed by a quarter of respondents (26 percent).