Sales of plant-based dairy, including milk, cheese and yogurt, continue to grow at a rapid clip despite challenging macroeconomic and market conditions, but units in some categories are dipping slightly, according to recently released SPINS data, raising questions about the category’s long-term trajectory.
Once reserved for special occasions and parties, dips are breaking out as an everyday snack – and in some cases meal – to emerge as a fast-growing category driven by pandemic-fatigue, consumer interest in global flavors and an enviable family-friendly status that is reinforced by its versatility, according to category players and consumer research.
As consumers look for foods and beverages to do more for them and the planet they are becoming more sophisticated and skeptical of unverified claims – demanding proof that products and companies can deliver what they promise.
While economists and investors celebrate a slowdown in overall inflation in the US, including for food at home, the price of some grocery staples continues to rise – most notably that for eggs, which increased a staggering 11.1% in December over November, according to yesterday’s Consumer Price Index update.
Above Food, a vertically-integrated plant-based foods company and Umiami, a food technology firm based in France, are partnering to develop whole-cut, plant-based meat and fish analogues.