Natural yoghurt is increasingly nudging its flavoured counterparts out of the Australian supermarket chiller according to Roy Moran Research.
For years flavoured/fruit yoghurt has been more popular by a long shot, but it is gradually losing ground to natural/plain yoghurt, according to the researcher.
In the 12 months to September 2015, 48 per cent of Australians 14+ reported eating flavoured/fruit yoghurt in an average four weeks, down from 52 per cent back in September 2011.
Over the same period, the proportion eating natural/plain yoghurt grew from 36 per cent to 43 per cent.
According to Roy Morgan Research, while natural/plain yoghurt consumption grew among all age groups except young men aged under-25, the most dramatic increases occurred among men and women aged between 25 and 34 years, followed closely by the 65+ age bracket.
The frequency with which Australians eat natural/plain yoghurt has also risen over the last few years.
“While a greater proportion of Australians still eat fruit/flavoured yoghurt than natural, the gap is closing,” says Roy Morgan Research CEO Michele Levine.
“This increased tendency towards natural/plain yoghurt may well be the result of the public becoming more aware of the hidden sugars in so many flavoured yoghurts, or part of a broader move towards more ‘natural’ foods.
“It is certainly noteworthy that Aussies who eat natural yoghurt every day are nearly 50 per cent more likely than the average Australian to agree that ‘I try to buy organic food whenever I can’.
“It is also interesting to see that daily consumers of natural yoghurt are twice as likely as the average Australian to eat all, or almost all, vegetarian food, suggesting that there is a conscious thought process behind their decision."
According to Levine, this means dairy brands with a flavoured yoghurt range should seek to stay abreast of shifting attitudes and behaviour among Australian consumers, and adjust their marketing communications and brand image accordingly.
