In last May’s Market Trends report, we shared a strong growth story for most cultured dairy categories at retail. In fact, we reported double-digit dollar and unit sales growth for both the cream cheese/cream cheese spreads and sour cream categories — and strong dollar and unit sales performance for kefir and cottage cheese (for the 52 weeks ending Feb. 21, 2021, according to data from Chicago-based market research firm IRI). Yogurt was up in dollar sales, but down in unit sales, likely reflecting a move to larger multi-serve tubs on the part of many consumers.
The data, of course, reflected a timespan in which consumers were eating and preparing more meals at home, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. A year later, the numbers suggest a return, at least in part, to more food service occasions.