Easter boosted eggs sales in April on top of already high demand, while at-home cooking and baking occasions bolstered the rest of the dairy category.
The dairy market is rebounding from a slower March thanks in part to Easter, while consumer demands for protein and at-home eating occasions boosted creamers, cottage cheese and other categories, according to Circana data presented during an International Dairy Deli Bakery Association webinar.
In April, dairy market sales grew to $7.2 billion, with dollar growth increasing by 16.4% and units by 4.9%, according to Circana data.
Egg price declines coupled with strong demand buoyed egg sales in April, lifting the entire market, Jonna Parker, principal II of fresh foods client insights group at Circana, explained.
Refrigerated egg dollar sales grew 65.4% to hit $1.5 billion, and units increased 4.3% in April, according to Circana data. The average cost of a dozen grade-A eggs was $5.12 in April, down from $6.23 in the previous month, per the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Easter baking and cooking rises
The springtime holiday also lifted other dairy categories, like creamers, sour cream and cream cheese, as consumers focused on more at-home occasions, Parker noted.
Almost half (44%) of consumers said they were celebrating Easter at home this year, while 11% said they were going out to eat, according to an 84.51° survey of more than 300 consumers.
“People were doing Easters at home, cooking and baking a bit more,” Parker said. “When we back that out, butter, margarine and spreads are doing well, even without the Easter growth.”
Butter, margarine and spread sales reached $586.1 million, growing 15.9% in dollars and 16.2% in volumes in April, compared to a year ago, according to Circana. Refrigerated whipped toppings sales hit $186.1 million, increasing dollar sales by 15.2% and units by 13% in April.
Additionally, on-trend categories like yogurts and cottage cheese are gaining. Yogurt sales hit $991.4 million in April, up 13.1% in dollars and 5.4% units, according to Circana.
Cottage cheese sales surged to $158.7 million, growing 25% in dollars and 19% in units. This is on top of cottage cheese increasing unit sales by 19.4% in March, as previously reported.
“Cottage cheese is actually being studied globally by my company as an example of when you change the use, and you extend the number of use occasions of a food, in a way a consumer feels is very approachable. It will change the ongoing demand of that product,” Parker noted.
Refrigerated desserts, refrigerated cheese snack kits and dairy alternative cheese were the only dairy categories where volume and unit both declined. Refrigerated cheese snack kits dropped 13.6% in units, followed by refrigerated desserts with a 12.9% decline, and alt cheeses at 10.1%.
You can now read the most important #news on #eDairyNews #Whatsapp channels!!!
🇺🇸 eDairy News INGLÊS: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaKsjzGDTkJyIN6hcP1K
