Retailers pulled back on dairy ads this week

Advertisements for ice cream decline from last week, but ads for conventional yogurt increase.

Ice cream photo by TIC Gums — Photo courtesy of TIC Gums

The following is excerpted from USDA’s Dairy Market News for the week ended May 12, 2017. Read the entire report here.

An advertised package of ice cream rises 11 cents this week to $3.06

Ice cream in 46-64 oz. containers is a popular item even though ad numbers declined 5% from last week. The national weighted average advertised price, $3.06, is up $0.11 from last week. Organic ice cream in 48-64 oz. containers has an average price of $4.35, an organic premium of $1.29.

Organic yogurt costs 34 cents more than conventional yogurt

Conventional yogurt ads increased 4%, while organic yogurt ads decreased 78%. The average sale price for 4-6 ounce conventional Greek yogurt is $0.99, while 4-6 ounce organic Greek yogurt is $1.00, an organic price premium of $0.01. The average sale price for 4-6 ounce conventional yogurt is $0.54, while 4-6 ounce organic yogurt is $0.88, an organic price premium of $0.34.

Ads for cheese decreased 17% this week

The U.S. advertised price for 8 ounce conventional cheese blocks averaged $2.25, up $0.09 from last week. There were no ads for organic 8 ounce cheese blocks. Ads for conventional 8 ounce shred cheese average $2.31, up $0.09 from last week. The U.S. advertised price for 8 ounce packages of organic shred cheese is $3.50, down $0.99 from last week, a $1.19 organic premium over conventional shred cheese. The number of conventional cheese ads decreased 17% and organic cheese ad numbers decreased 33%.

Retailers are emphasizing flavored milk in ads this week

This week, the difference between the weighted average price for organic half gallon milk, $3.50, and the weighted average price for conventional half gallon milk, $1.54, resulted in an organic price premium of $1.96. Organic milk advertisements decreased 1% and ads for conventional milk decreased 33%. Advertisements for conventional half gallons of flavored milk increased over five times.