Fairlife, Organic Valley and A2 drive double-digit growth as U.S. dairy milk posts solid gains and plant-based alternatives decline.
After years of contraction, U.S. fluid milk consumption appears firmly back on growth footing. Total Dairy Milk dollar sales increased 3% year over year to $17.7 billion, while unit sales held steady at 4.8 billion for the 52 weeks ending Nov. 30, 2025, according to data from Circana . The Refrigerated White Dairy Milk segment mirrored this trajectory, climbing 3% in dollar sales to $15.8 billion, with flat unit performance at 4.2 billion . For producers and processors, this stabilization signals renewed resilience in the core fluid milk category.
Private label remains the dominant force in Refrigerated White Dairy Milk, generating $9.7 billion in sales, up 1% year over year, though volumes slipped 1% to 2.9 billion units . However, the most dynamic momentum comes from branded players positioned around value-added and differentiated propositions. Notably, fairlife — a division of The Coca-Cola Co. — posted a 25% jump in dollar sales to $980 million and a 14% increase in units to 188 million, ranking No. 3 in the category .
Organic Valley also delivered strong performance, with dollar sales up 21% to $326 million and unit sales rising 14% to 51 million . Meanwhile, The A2 Milk Co., now the No. 9 seller in the segment, recorded a 30% increase in dollar sales to $104 million and a 25% lift in units to 19.5 million . These double-digit gains underscore how premium positioning, protein messaging and digestibility claims are reshaping competitive dynamics in the fluid milk market.
Growth extended into Refrigerated Flavored Milk, where dollar sales advanced 4% to $1.9 billion and unit sales edged up 0.5% to 609 million . Private label led with $475 million in sales, up 2%, while fairlife again stood out, increasing dollar sales 20% to $276 million and unit sales 10% to 53 million . Shamrock Foods Co. posted one of the sharpest gains in the segment, with dollar sales surging 28% to $53 million and units up 27% to 24.5 million .
In contrast, the plant-based milk category declined 3% in dollar sales to $2.4 billion and 5% in units to 591 million . Meanwhile, the All Other Milk category expanded 21% in both dollars and units, largely driven by refrigerated kefir, which grew 30% in dollar sales to $244 million and 28% in units to 62 million . Lifeway Foods led kefir growth with a 24% rise in dollar sales to $207 million , while Jackson-Mitchell Inc. recorded exponential percentage gains from a smaller base . Together, these figures point to a U.S. dairy market increasingly fueled by functional innovation, premiumization and protein-driven demand.
Source: Dairy Foods – https://www.dairyfoods.com/articles/98875-fairlife-organic-valley-among-brands-leading-milk-sales-higher
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