Milk is a high nutrient density food. Whole milk contains macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat), vitamins (both fat- and water soluble) and a range of minerals, including iodine, phosphorus and calcium. However, there is no denying the fact that many flavored milk products – even those developed for adult palates – contain a significant amount of sugar. On average a 200ml glass of flavored milk contains 18.3g of sugar compared to 9.5g in whole milk and 9.9g in reduced fat milk.
Understanding why people choose flavored milk drinks is a key piece of the jigsaw in helping manufacturers get to grips with the importance of sugar content to flavored milk drinkers. Of those surveyed by DSM Consumer Survey (November 2015), 55% said they chose to drink flavored milk because of its taste, but for 45% of people it was the benefits for bone health that attracted them, 17% cited gastrointestinal benefits and 16% of consumers valued its protein content.
Interestingly, in China the functional benefits of flavored milk seem even more important: 43% cite gastrointestinal health as a driver and 36% say bone health while 39% say taste. It may be that in this less established market for milk and in which milk wasn’t traditionally part of the everyday diet, health benefits are more important drivers for consumption, with people proactively adding it to their diet to enhance health rather than consuming it out of habit.
Regarding sugar content, one fifth of people surveyed said they would drink more flavored milk if it were lower in sugar, suggesting that – for the majority at least – sugar content is not a significant barrier to the consumption of these drinks. But this may change as pressure increases to cut sugar intake. A better taste and more flavor varieties were mentioned most often as reasons to increase their sugar-reduced flavored milk consumption. 62% of surveyed consumers say that they are concerned with the amount of sugar in dairy and 70% say that they now pay more attention to the amount of sugar in dairy than they did three years ago. Sugar is firmly on their minds as they browse the supermarket aisles and strive to make optimal food choices for themselves and their families.
