The yogurt and yogurt drinks market in the UK is expected to enjoy double-digit value growth in 2025, driven by strong volume growth and rising prices. Social media shapes consumer…
UK
Yogurt
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UK Yogurt and Yogurt Drinks Market Report 2025
"Health connotations are fuelling robust growth of yogurt and yogurt drinks. Communicating meal replacement potential and protein quality can unlock further gains."
Sam Fryers, Research Analyst
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
What you need to know
Outlook for yogurt and yogurt drinks
Opportunities
Protein quality warrants more attention from brands
Lean into interest in yogurt drinks as a meal replacement
Leverage social media’s influence on yogurt usage
THE MARKET
Snapshot – market size and forecast
Consumers will remain cautious
Graph 1: financial confidence and wellbeing indices, 2016-25
Yogurt inflation has come down since 2023
Graph 2: consumer price inflation for all food and non-alcoholic beverages, and yogurt, 2020-25
Yogurt mostly benefits from healthy lifestyles
Population growth will support demand for yogurt and yogurt drinks
Graph 3: population, by age, 2020, 2025 and 2030
Market size and forecast
Inflation to drive value growth
Graph 4: retail market value for yogurt and yogurt drinks, 2019-30
Volume grows in all segments in 2025
Graph 5: retail value and volume sales of yogurt and yogurt drinks, by segment, 2023-25
Private label continues to gain share in spoonable yogurt
Graph 6: leading brands’ sales of spoonable yogurt, by value, 2022/23-2024/25
Activia leads, Fage outperforms in spoonable yogurt
WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
Usage of yogurt and yogurt drinks
Yogurt enjoys widespread usage
Four in five people enjoy yogurt/yogurt drinks
Graph 7: usage of spoonable yogurt and yogurt drinks, by broad type, 2021-25
Pricier yogurt types lag behind on regaining usage
Graph 8: types of yogurt and yogurt drinks used, 2021-25
Frequency rebounds, the young and families are core users
Meal replacement yogurt drinks holds potential
Meal replacement positioning represents an opportunity for yogurt drinks
Meal replacement yogurt drinks hold untapped potential
Being seen as filling is crucial
Look to rounded nutrition and spotlight meal positioning on pack
Tap social media’s influence on yogurt and yogurt drink usage
Social media inspires many to use yogurt in new ways
Social media has substantial sway in yogurt usage
Link up with popular food influencers to drive visibility
Tap appetite for novelty to unlock new usage occasions
Look to protein quality to stand out
High/added protein claims gain further foothold, but prevalence limits standout
Protein quality matters more than quantity for most yogurt users
Protein quality warrants greater focus…
…The Coconut Collab and Danone GetPRO offer cues
PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING
High/added protein launches gain share in 2024 and 2025
Graph 9: share of launches in spoonable/drinkable yogurt with select claims, 2021-25
Digestive health claims continue to climb
Kefir regains momentum in 2024 and 2025
Dairy alternative brands strengthen health propositions
Children’s yogurts attract NPD
Advertising spend on yogurt and yogurt drinks rises in 2024
APPENDIX
The market
Forecast methodology
Forecast methodology – fan chart
Retail value sales and forecast for yogurt and yogurt drinks
Retail volume sales and forecast for yogurt and yogurt drinks
Retail sales and forecast of yogurt and yogurt drinks – volumes
Graph 10: retail market volume for yogurt and yogurt drinks, 2019-30
Market forecast and prediction intervals (values)
Market forecast and prediction intervals (volumes)
Trends in the population age structure
Market share
Spoonable yogurt – value brand sales
Spoonable yogurt – volume brand sales
Spoonable yogurt – value manufacturer sales
Spoonable yogurt – volume manufacturer sales
Drinking yogurt – value brand sales
Drinking yogurt – volume brand sales
Advertising and marketing
Advertising spending on yogurt and yogurt drinks, by media type
Advertising spending on yogurt and yogurt drinks, by advertiser
The consumer
Consumer research questions
Frequency rebounds
Graph 11: frequency of using spoonable yogurt and yogurt drinks, 2021-25
Under-35s and parents are core users
Graph 12: usage of yogurt/yogurt drinks, by age and presence of children, 2025
Consumer research methodology
Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
Report scope and definitions
Market definition
Abbreviations
UK Yogurt Market – Trends and Insights
The yogurt and yogurt drinks market in the UK is expected to enjoy double-digit value growth in 2025, driven by strong volume growth and rising prices.
Social media shapes consumer behaviour, with 69% of 16-34 year olds using yogurt in new ways after seeing it online. This highlights the opportunity for brands to leverage digital platforms to inspire new usage occasions and position yogurt as a versatile ingredient across meals and snacks.
However, despite improvements, the market faces challenges from cautious consumer spending. This has fuelled the growth of private label, which now takes a sizeable minority share of spoonable yogurt sales.
Meal replacement yogurt drinks represent a significant untapped opportunity, with 44% of consumers finding the concept appealing. By developing products that are explicitly positioned as complete meals and emphasising convenience and satiety, brands can unlock new occasions and attract a broader audience.
Key Issues Covered in the Report
Overview of current market performance and the outlook for the next five years
Key new product development trends in the category
Usage of yogurt and yogurt drinks by type and how often people eat/drink them
The reasons people typically eat/drink yogurt and yogurt drinks
This report examines the UK retail market for yogurts and yogurt drinks. Sales through foodservice establishments are excluded. The consumer research includes functional fermented milk drinks such as Yakult with cultures similar to those in products positioned as yogurt.
The market size includes spoonable yogurt, fromage frais and yogurt drinks. The product definition for yogurt drinks has been revised by Circana and now largely excludes drinkable kefir and fermented milk drinks. Sales data for yogurt drinks has been revised accordingly since the previous report.
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