Articles Tagged with ''state of the industry''

The past year has been quite the journey for the dairy segment — with retail sales adjusting following 2020’s pandemic-spurred growth wave, and foodservice sales starting to pick up.

In 2020 — when sales accelerated across most dairy categories — cultured dairy found itself on a divided highway. 

After years of riding in the slow lane, the retail milk category got a pandemic-related jump last year. But since COVID-19-related panic buying subsided and some normalcy returned in 2021, milk sales felt the gridlock once again. 

Nondairy beverages mainly cruised down the sales highway this year.

The natural cheese category managed to avoid gridlocks on the retail side in 2021, cruising at a comfortable speed with positive results. 

With many U.S. consumers picking up cooking/baking at home during COVID-19 shutdowns, the butter category seemed to be on easy street in 2020. But this year, the category is facing hazards on the road.

It has been quite a year for the dairy industry. Its challenges are many — from ongoing labor and supply chain issues to higher consumer expectations and increased competition from dairy alternatives.

Sales within the retail ice cream and frozen novelties segments have been traveling in two different directions of late.

The road to health and wellness is getting more congested. With a rapidly expanding base of consumers seeking and embracing dairy products with better-for-you attributes, processors are leveraging the ingredients that will drive traffic.

U.S. dairy exports in 2022 will mostly continue to speed down the expressway, albeit with different drivers. First, let’s talk about how 2021 has played out because some of the trends from this year will extend into the next.