All data included in the following category breakdown and subsequent charts were provided by Circana, a Chicago-based market research firm, and cover the previous 52-week period ending July 14, 2024.

Fluid cows’ milk is one of the most polarizing foods among US consumers. Yet at the same time, it’s one of the few things that the two major political parties don’t argue about.

They recognize the importance of fluid milk as a source of nutrition for school-aged children. Parents are getting it, too. What’s even better is that scientific advancements are validating what the industry has known for a long time, which is “milk does a body good.”

Milk, like most foods, provides calories that the body requires to function. Food also contains macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats and proteins) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) responsible for critical steps in physiological functions. Scientists are starting to better understand that these nutrients, when present in whole, minimally processed foods, interact with each other, impacting digestion and absorption. In the dairy industry, this is now called the dairy matrix effect, and it’s all about bioactives, which are molecular compounds that have only recently been discovered.

“These components work together and are greater than the sum of their parts,” said Kevin Comerford, chief science officer, California Dairy Research Foundation, Davis, Calif. “It’s all about the physical, chemical and molecular interactions in a food.”

While anti-milk advocates are quick to point out that the nutrients in whole milk can all be obtained elsewhere, science is showing that it’s milk’s unique composition that makes it a powerhouse. A lot of that power is due to the bioactives and how they interact with the macro and micronutrients inherent to mammalian milk. Further, nutrition science has evolved in the past decade to show neutral or positive benefits of full-fat dairy foods, such as whole milk, including less weight gain, neutral or lower risk of heart disease and lower childhood obesity.

While much of the science is too technical for the lay consumer, something appears to resonate in terms of minimally processed and the whole foods matrix. That is likely one of the reasons that consumers turned away from plant-based beverages at an accelerating rate in 2023, which caused the category to lose market share to cows’ milk.

Sales of whole milk, the most popular variety, rose last year, and lactose-free milk jumped 6.7% to 239.2 million gallons. Whole milk is also wanted back in schools. Lactose-free milk may become an option for students, too. 

Students in US public schools have not been able to access the milk options that they prefer and consume at home — whole and reduced fat (2%) — for the past 12 years. As the US Senate considers the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2023 — bipartisan legislation to reinstate these nutritious milk options in school meals — a Morning Consult national tracking poll of parents with children in public schools indicated near unanimous support for the bill.

The survey showed that 94% of parents serve whole or 2% milk to their school-aged children at home, and they want these options to be made available to their children at school. Nine in 10 view drinking milk as an important component of children’s daily nutritional intake. Parents consider whole and 2% milks to be healthy (86%), wholesome (83%), nutritious (83%) and tasty (80%).

“Milk’s nutrient package is unmatched, so we want offerings in our schools that kids are more likely to consume,” said Timothy Kelly, vice chair, fluid milk board, International Dairy Foods Association, and senior vice president and general manager, Shamrock Foods Company, Phoenix. “The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act offers exactly that, which will help ensure kids today and those of future generations receive critical nutrition during the school day.”

Milk processors are ready. They have increased the formats and sizes of whole and 2% milk, including lactose-free options. Further, thanks to increasingly modern and innovative dairy farming practices, the environmental impact of producing a gallon of milk has shrunk significantly, requiring 30% less water, 21% less land and a 19% smaller carbon footprint than it did in 2007.

Source: Circana

| Image: Sosland Publishing Co. 

Category innovations

Prairie Farms Dairy, which has sold iced coffee-milk beverages in half-gallon cartons for more than a decade, now offers on-the-go Barista Style Iced Coffee. The caramel and mocha variants come in 14 oz bottles. The company also offers its lactose-free whole and 2% milk in gallon jugs.

Greek yogurt maker Chobani formulated its first dairy milk, a lowfat and shelf-stable product that the company will donate to support people in need. The company said it developed its new Chobani Super Milk, which has a nine-month shelf life and doesn’t have to be refrigerated until opened, to provide to the American Red Cross, as well as food banks and pantries.

In the aseptic flavored milk category, Epoca developed Cool Plus Banana Milk. The 8 oz milks combine low-fat milk and banana puree, with extra sweetness from sugar. The milk is fortified with vitamins A and D, and is an excellent source of calcium.

Hiland Dairy launched Fresh Lactose-Free Milk in whole and 2% varieties in plastic gallon jugs. The milk is produced daily to guarantee the freshest taste and highest quality.

Source: Circana

| Image: Sosland Publishing Co.