As the popularity of plant-based nutrition grows, it seems non-dairy milk is increasingly finding its place in Americans’ refrigerators. New research from Mintel reveals that non-dairy milk sales have seen steady growth over the past five years, growing an impressive 61 percent since 2012, and are estimated to reach $2.11 billion in 2017.
When it comes to purchasing, dairy and non-dairy consumer take different approaches. While nearly all non-dairy milk consumers also purchase dairy milk (90 percent), they tend to consider more factors when purchasing. Non-dairy milk purchasers are more likely to seek out milks that deliver on flavor (48 percent vs 40 percent of dairy consumers), vitamins and minerals (43 percent vs 36 percent of dairy consumers) and that are high in protein (42 percent vs 31 percent of dairy consumers). Non-dairy milk buyers are also more likely to look for ingredients that are natural (46 percent vs 36 percent of dairy consumers) and/or organic (33 percent vs 23 percent of dairy consumers).