Global dairy market continues product launch boom

The number of new product launches within the global dairy industry increased significantly, according to a marketing report from consumer industry analysts Mintel.

The yoghurt category was the most active area with nearly 1,500 introductions in 2002, accounting for a 19 per cent increase in activity over 2001.

This was closely followed by the cheese category, with 1479 launches, marking a 36 per cent increase over 2001.

However, the heightened activity within the Dairy category in 2002 can largely be attributed to the Other Dairy Products and Milk categories with 85 per cent and 30 per cent increases in launch activity respectively over the previous year.

In this latter category the increase in dairy beverage launches was the driving force behind the growth. New packaging techniques such as aseptic filling have been key drivers in the marketability of such drinks over the past couple of years. This has been greatly helped by the fact that many of the new packaging techniques have greatly extended the shelf life of dairy beverages.

In 2000 the amount of new products introduced certainly outnumbered the amount of new variety/range extension products. However, two years later, Mintel's figures revealed that new introductions were split evenly between the two, with new products having a miniscule lead.