This report looks at the following areas:
- Household milk consumption (dairy vs plant-based)
- Types of plant-based milk consumed
- Dairy and plant-based milk preferences based on different attributes
- Desired health benefits from milk and milk alternatives
- Associations with different milk formats
- Willingness to pay more for specific features in milk products
Brands are still competing on what milk does, while consumers are choosing based on how it fits into their lives. The milk industry needs to adapt to consumer needs by highlighting milk's specific, ownable health functionalities, offering premium protein options and reframing new formats for modern lifestyles.
Rashmika Khanijou, Senior Analyst
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Key issues covered in this Report
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MARKET LANDSCAPE
- Growing protein awareness will continue to push the role of milk in consumers’ everyday lives
- Graph 1: how consumers pay attention to protein in what they eat/drink, 2026
- Alongside the proteinisation trend, Thailand’s calcium crisis is poised to drive demand for milk
- Milk has become a multi-role household system
- Graph 2: consumption of milk types, by consumer group in the household, 2026
- Milk is has become a multi-role household system
- Milk innovation is rebalancing as plant-based milk shifts from exploration to maturity
- Graph 3: share of product launches in milk, 2021-26
- In reaching maturity, the plant-based milk market is now entering a diversification phase
- Graph 4: types of plant-based milk consumed in the household, 2026
- Mintel’s Reports trace a clear shift in the milk/milk alternatives market
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EXPAND MILK’S ROLE THROUGH TARGETED FUNCTIONAL POSITIONINGS
- Dairy and plant-based milk own distinct roles within consumers’ lives, with functional health emerging as the growth space
- Dairy and plant-based milk still own distinct roles within consumers’ lives, with functional health emerging as the growth space
- Now: bone health remains milk’s strongest functional anchor
- Graph 5: health benefits consumers want in milk/milk alternatives, 2024 vs 2026
- Dairy milk is evolving into broader functionality faster than plant-based milk
- Graph 6: share of product launches in dairy milk and plant-based milk, by top 10 functional claims, 2023-26
- Now: drive milk modernisation with bone + energy proposition, turning stamina loss into an energy opportunity
- Now: position for total active vitality support
- Next: plant-based milk can turn matcha, seaweed and algae into longevity-led energy cues
- Next: expand bone health from children’s nutrition into active ageing support by combining calcium with glucosamine
- Next: tackle the growing osteoporosis public health issue in Thailand
- Next: milk as a functional product for women’s physical and cognitive health
- Next: milk can support women’s hormonal wellbeing
- Future: milk can evolve toward supporting the differentiated functional needs of neuro-diverse children
- Future: develop a milk system catered to needs of neurodivergent children
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PREMIUMISE MILK BY EVOLVING THE PROTEIN SCENE
- Now: layered nutrition is becoming the new premium battleground
- Graph 7: share of product launches in milk that include both high/added protein + vitamin/mineral-fortified claims, 2023-26
- Now: help consumers increase protein intake while closing the market’s nutritional gaps
- Now: strengthen plant-based milk’s nutritional credibility amid rising UPF scrutiny
- Graph 8: behaviours regarding ultra-processed foods, 2026
- Now: reinforce plant-based milk’s nutritional credibility
- High-protein competition is escalating toward extreme protein quantities
- Next: aim for consistent protein intake rather than just “more” protein by creating a daily protein ecosystem
- Next: beyond ‘high/added protein’, focus on protein absorbability for enhanced confidence
- Next: family nutrition will leverage both dairy’s protein and plant-based milk’s fibre
- Next: hybrid milk for kids combines growth nutrition with more balanced wellbeing support
- Next: evolve into a proactive cardio-metabolic health platform, alleviating modern health anxieties
- Protein and fibre positioning can strengthen metabolic wellness credibility
- Future: proteinisation will evolve into more adaptive nutrition systems
- Future: protein shuffling in milk
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EXPAND ON THE ROLE OF MILK FORMATS
- Different milk formats play different roles
- Graph 9: association of milk types, 2026
- Now: each milk format faces a different strategic tension
- Now: milk formats should strengthen and own the roles consumers already trust them for
- Now: pasteurised milk can turn freshness into a modern wellness cue
- Now: UHT milk can become the format for habitual preventative nutrition
- Next: UHT milk can become the everyday format to support active seniors
- Next: powdered milk can become a lifestyle product for younger consumers
- Future: milk formats will blur to minimise waste on top of nutrient delivery
- Future: hybrid nutritious milk cubes
- Key takeaways
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APPENDIX
- Generations
- Consumer research methodology
- TURF analysis
- Consumer research questions
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