Though the flavor standards in ice cream (vanilla, strawberry and chocolate) and yogurt (strawberry, vanilla, peach) never go out of style — bold, savory, ethnic and unique flavors continue to gain popularity and grab consumers’ interest, especially among millennials.
The top five yogurt flavors are strawberry blend, vanilla, plain, strawberry and peach, according to a recent report from Dairy Management Inc., Rosemont, Ill., prepared by Chicago-based IRI. But something new and very unique to yogurt is starting to show up — savory flavors. Dairy Foods columnist Phillip Tong, Professor of Dairy Science at the Dairy Products Technology Center, first mentioned the new trend in our magazine back in February (see more on that article here). He mentioned that flavors like tomato, sweet potato, parsnip, ginger, curry and green tea are making their way into the yogurt aisle.
“Purees of these vegetables add sweetness and fiber along with unique savory flavor profiles,” said Tong.
This month, we reported on a yogurt line from Blue Hill, New York, N.Y., that consists entirely of savory flavors, like butternut squash, tomato, carrot and parsnip. Read more about this dairy product here.
Another trend showing up in yogurt products is an increase in seasonal flavors like apple, pumpkin and cranberry. Noosa is set to launch a cranberry apple flavor in its Aussie-style yogurt in July, while its popular pumpkin flavor is also returning. Chobani launched watermelon and plum in its seasonal, limited-batch line for summer.
As Tong mentioned, these new dairy flavors and other flavor introductions inspired by Hispanic and Asian cuisines are likely appeal to millennials.