A recent paper presented by Rebecca Cuthbertson, Global Marketing & Communications Manager for Fonterra during the 6th Dairy Asia Pacific Summit 2019 held in November 2019 in Singapore unveiled growing snacking trend for cultured products like yoghurt.
The presentation revealed that many consumers enjoyed snacking due to their busy and fast paced lifestyles which means that they often skip regular long meals for the more convenient snacks. The following chart made a comparison between 3 major countries in ASEAN and proportion of consumers that skip meals in each country. It showed that the Thais have a higher tendency to skip meals like breakfast (20%), lunch (18%) and dinner (14%) compared to Malaysians and Indonesians.
In addition, based on Global Data Consumer Survey Results in 2018, roughly 61% of Asia Pacific consumers enjoyed snacking between meals, regardless of whether they skipped or did not skip meals. This has effectively made snacking an established ‘meal occasion’ in its own right with an estimated US$135 billion in retail value in Asia Pacific, based on Euromonitor estimates, with a CAGR of 5.5% in 2018.
The paper also highlighted that 49% of Asia Pacific consumers associated convenience with quick to eat/drink and with ready to eat/drink.
Rebecca highlighted that Yoghurt is one of the top consumed snacks in Asian countries along with fruits and chocolates.
Many consumers now look for nourishment or nutritional benefits when they snack. A survey done in Indonesia and China showed that 80% of Chinese consumers chose yoghurt as it is nutritious whereas 71% of Indonesians felt that yoghurt is low in bad ingredients. In addition, 66% of Indonesians chose yoghurt based on taste as compared to 60% for Chinese consumers.
In addition, 76% of Vietnamese consumers looked at protein content first when choosing a yoghurt while similar percentage (76%) of Thais look at sugar content instead. In addition, 79% of Thais are willing to pay a premium for a yoghurt with health claims
Consumption of yogurt is driven by fuel for energy, nourishment due to its nutritional contents and delight due to indulgence. Nevertheless, it is lagging behind confectionery and protein bars in terms of energy purpose.
Yoghurt has become a highly versatile product compared to a decade ago. Manufacturers are now looking to enrich yoghurt products with protein for energy. Yoghurt can also be combined with other ingredients like caffeine/guarana or vitamins/minerals like DHA Omega 3, Choline and Probiotics to support brain development.
As snacking has become an established meal occasion, yoghurt can effectively take its place as a snack with its many benefits to consumers.
