The U.S. retail ice cream segment certainly has seen easier times. According to "Ice Cream and Frozen Novelties - U.S.," a report published in May 2019 by global market research firm Mintel, the mature and diverse category is "finding growth elusive."

The good news continues on the cheese front. According to Portland, Ore.-based Allied Market Research, the U.S. cheese market was valued at $32.3 billion in 2017, and is projected to reach $40.5 billion by 2025, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 2.8%.

When it comes to some key nondairy beverage categories, the spin of the wheel has been kinder to some categories than others. The odds have been in ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee and tea's favor, while juice seemingly is facing a gaffed wheel.

The state of the export market for U.S. dairy products is mixed: It depends on the dairy product that you’re exporting and on the destination of the product.

It seems that butter producers picked their numbers wisely. The cooking staple and flavor booster continues to show positive growth, with dollar sales of butter/butter blends up 1.3% (to $3,131.4 million) and unit sales jumping 2.5% (to 840.6 million) during the 52-week period ending Aug. 11, 2019, according to data from Chicago-based market research firm IRI.

The "one armed bandit" brought some good news and some bad news to the ice cream and frozen novelty segment in the past year. The good news? Frozen novelties saw a pretty payout, with dollar sales rising 4.2% to $4,906.3 million during the 52 weeks ending Aug. 11, 2019, according to data from Chicago-based market research firm IRI.

The era of Greek yogurt cashing in big payouts has ended: The yogurt category has leveled off since the international style's introduction to the U.S. market over a decade ago.

Cheese has the advantage, you might say, as U.S consumers' love affair with it continues to flourish.

At first glance, it seems that milk hasn't been dealt the best hand. But the beverage isn't considering folding: While purchasing numbers have declined in recent years, it's still present in 91% of American households, according to the September 2019 "Eating Trends: Meat, Dairy, Vegetarian, and Vegan" report from the Packaged Facts division of Rockville, Md.-based MarketResearch.com.

The trend toward convenient grab-and-go offerings shows no signs of waning. And that reality has been good news for the ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee and tea segment.