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The Future of Dairy and Non-Dairy Drinks
2026-04-08T18:00:48+00:00
REP7FB6D3FC_468A_4D56_B6D3_FC468A4D5635
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Published Date: April 8, 2026 | "From childhood resilience to longevity, dairy and non‑dairy drinks' nutritional role is being redefined. Sensory excitement will be further explored." Alice Pilkington, Associate Principal…
Global
Dairy and Dairy Substitute Drinks
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The Future of Dairy and Non-Dairy Drinks

Published Date: April 8, 2026

"From childhood resilience to longevity, dairy and non‑dairy drinks' nutritional role is being redefined. Sensory excitement will be further explored."

Alice Pilkington, Associate Principal

Alice Pilkington, Associate Principal

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  1. IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS

    • Mintel’s perspective
    • Fuelling health in an age of childhood strain
    • The global state of children’s health requires urgent solutions
    • Dairy and non-dairy drinks will leverage their favourable perceptions to act as a vehicle for better children’s health
    • Graph 1: select preferred product formats for nutritional supplementation, 2024
    • Dairy brands will speak to children, rather than parents, about gut health
    • Plant-based drinks will look to the breakfast cereal category for fibre inspiration
    • Omega-3 will offer products a viable claim as awareness of the gut-brain axis grows
    • As governments renew their focus on sugar, children’s dairy and non-dairy drinks will need to get creative
    • Graph 2: white milk, flavoured milk, drinking yogurt, liquid cultured milk and plant-based drinks launches with children (5-12) as a claim, by select sugar-related claims, 2022-26
    • Mintel Spark imagines an enthralling children’s product…without the sugar high
    • Flavoured milks will turn up the sensory dial
    • Younger consumers are choosing their own coffee/tea beverage adventure
    • Graph 3: select additions consumers like to make to coffee/tea beverages, by select generations, 2026
    • Dessert flavours will enable consumer to have their cake and (drink) it too!
    • Creamers will use limited edition flavours as a growth lever outside the US
    • Flavoured dairy and non-dairy drinks will embrace colour as a new lever for differentiation
    • Brands will offer suggestions on how to play with temperature and texture
    • From daily drink to longevity support
    • Whilst protein is the long game with seniors, fibre will offer dairy and non-dairy drinks a low-hanging fruit
    • Graph 4: usage of standard cow’s milk, by age, 2022-25
    • Fibre-enriched drinks will emerge as an educator and longevity lever
    • Dairy and non-dairy drinks can offer a low-volume fibre solution for smaller senior appetites
    • Take cues from ‘topper’ products to fit fibre-rich milk into seniors’ existing routines
    • Graph 5: select typical usage occasions of unflavoured milk, by age, 2025
    • Leverage seniors’ favourable image of oats to recruit more to plant-based
  2. IN FIVE YEARS AND BEYOND

    • Mintel’s perspective
    • Dairy’s hydrating benefits will gain new purpose as global temperatures soar
    • Dairy and non-dairy brands will use texture to meet underserved consumers’ needs
    • Upcycling will offer new dairy alternative base ingredients
    • Upcycled dairy alternatives will lead with health benefits first
    • Key takeaways

Discover the most important future trends in the global milk and dairy drinks market with Mintel’s Future Of report. The report identifies the key consumer and industry trends that will impact the global dairy and non-dairy drinks market over the next five years.

The most important upcoming trends in the dairy drinks market are analysed and succinctly presented alongside relevant insights from Mintel’s consumer data. So you can understand how consumer demands will change and identify future innovation and growth opportunities.

This report also presents Mintel’s analysts’ pick of the most innovative and inspirational launches in the global dairy and non-dairy drinks market. Understanding the future of the dairy drinks industry has never been so easy.

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