Our latest round-up highlights major trends in food and beverage NPD, from functionality and naturalness to conscious indulgence.
Britain’s ‘first’ functional milk
Somerset, UK-based Tom Parker Creamery has launched Bedtime Milk in the UK, a functional whole milk drink infused with natural botanicals to promote relaxation and improve sleep quality and combat stress. The beverage meets consumer demand for added health benefits and is being introduced at a time when functional dairy beverages are outperforming the broader UK beverage category, the company says.
Bedtime Milk – infused with chamomile, valerian root, lavender and magnolia extract – will retail alongside Tom Parker Creamery’s vitamin-enriched whole milk. The new release will feature on Ocado in the UK from mid-March and retail for £1.50 per 500ml glass bottle.
Emmi UK expands with zero-sugar RTD coffee, kid-friendly yogurt
Swiss dairy firm Emmi launched Caffé Latte Zero, a ready-to-drink (RTD) chilled coffee with no added sugars or sweeteners. Containing just coffee and milk, the beverage is Emmi’s attempt to address a gap in the market for unsweetened RTD coffee, as informed by consumer research that indicated 30% of British shoppers do not purchase RTD coffee due to its added sugar content.
Emmi Caffé Latte Zero contains Arabica coffee and lactose-free milk, making it a clean-label option, according to the company.
The 230ml variant is available exclusively in Tesco from March 3, 2025, with an RRP of £1.85.
Also launching this month, Emmi UK’s Onken yogurt brand is adding a child-friendly range, KiddOs.
Available in two flavors – Banana & Raspberry and Blueberry, Blackberry & Banana, the yogurt offers a smooth texture with no bits and contains whole milk, real fruit, sugar and vitamin D. Each 90g pot is a source of calcium and protein.
Also available in Tesco from March 3, 2025 at RRP of £2.25 per 4-pack, the range is positioned as a clean-label option for children.
Lifeway Foods' Farmer Cheese enters Albertsons
US kefir and fermented dairy producer Lifeway Foods says its Farmer Cheese range will be offered across 1,400 Albertsons stores across the country.
Positioned as a premium small-batch cultured soft cheese, the product has a flavor and texture similar to blended cottage cheese but spreads like cream cheese.
It contains 12 live and active probiotics, 15g of protein per serving and is high in calcium in addition to being lactose-free and zero-added-salt, making it lower in sodium than some cottage cheese varieties, the company says.
According to the latest USDA annual consumption data, cottage cheese consumption reached its highest level in four years in 2023.
DFA introduces ultra-filtered, low-calorie milk
US dairy co-operative Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) has launched Milk50, a lactose-free, low-calorie skim milk under its DairyPure consumer brand.
Milk50 is produced using an advanced ultra-filtration method to remove sugar but preserve protein (of which there’s 9g per serving). There’s 75% less sugar in Milk50 compared to traditional skim milk, the co-op claims; with up to 3g of sugar depending on the variety, e.g. Original, Vanilla and Chocolate. The beverage is also a source of calcium, vitamin D and vitamin A.
Milk50 targets flexitarian consumers who have switched away from dairy milk but have not been satisfied with plant-based milk alternatives. According to a recent DFA-commissioned consumer research conducted by Talker Research among 2,0000 Americans, more than half (58%) of shoppers return to dairy milk after being disappointed with the price, taste and processing of plant-based beverages; with two thirds of respondents stating dairy milk tastes better and is a better ingredient.
DFA claims that a cup of Milk50 contains 9g of protein, versus 1-2g in most almond and oatmilks.
All three flavors of Milk50 are available in 48 fl oz (~1.4l) bottles and sold at Target nationwide along with select West Coast retailers including Walmart, Albertsons and Stater Bros. Market at a suggested retail price of $4.49.
Ben & Jerry’s Sundae arrives in the US
Having achieved a positive sales performance in Europe, Ben & Jerry’s is bringing a range of ice cream sundaes to the US.
Each of the four flavors contains chunks and swirls, whipped topping layer and more chunks sprinkled on top, says the ice cream company.
Cookie Vermont-ster (vanilla ice cream with chocolate chip cookies, fudge swirls and fudge chips), Dulce-Delish Sundae (salted caramel ice cream with pecan toffee pieces and sea salt fudge chunks), Choco-lotta Cheesecake Sundae (chocolate cheesecake ice cream, vanilla-whipped topping and sea salt fudge) and Turtle Sundae (buttery ice cream base, almonds and pretzel swirls and vanilla-whipped topping) retail at MSRP of $4.99-$6.49.