The yogurt category has grown dramatically over the last decade. And the primary drivers of its strong growth have been young adults and at-home breakfast consumption, said The NPD Group, Port Washington, N.Y.

According to NPD’s “National Eating Trends” research, per-capita yogurt consumption more than doubled over the past decade, with nearly one in three individuals eating yogurt today.

“Although there are currently some marketplace changes in the category, yogurt has shown remarkable growth over the last decade, and innovation — like new packaging and Greek-style yogurts — continues to breathe new life into the category,” said Darren Seifer, NPD food and beverage industry analyst. “Innovation in the yogurt category is just one component. Taking a look into U.S. homes to see the behavioral drivers behind yogurt’s growth helps to round out the story for food marketers interested in either riding this wave or trying to replicate this story in other categories.”

Yogurt consumption in the home — where three-quarters of all yogurt consumption takes place — has grown for all eating occasions: breakfast, lunch, dinner and between meals, NPD reported, based on a source-of-growth analysis the company conducted. Over the last five years, however, the in-home breakfast occasion has been the primary growth driver: 39 percent of incremental yogurt-eating occasions over the last five years have been from breakfast, followed by 20 percent from between-meal snack occasions and 19 percent from lunch, the research reports.

In addition to eating occasions, NPD’s source-of-growth analysis looked at the age of the eater and found that more than half of yogurt’s growth at breakfast can be attributed to consumers in the 18-to-34 and 45-to-64 age groups. Taking a closer look at the 18-to-34 age group, NPD said it identified several dynamics that work together to result in incremental eating occasions. Over the past five years, 18- to 34-year-olds have been eating breakfast in the home more often. Additionally, the number of 18- to 34-year-olds in the U.S. population is up by approximately 6 percent since 2007. And finally, yogurt’s share of breakfast occasions among these young adults has increased.

But when it comes to private label yogurt, the scenario doesn’t look so rosy. A recently issued private label report from NPD says yogurt is among the food categories in which consumers are the most brand loyal.

“In our research, we found that national brands engender stronger loyalty among base-dish products in which good taste and flavor are more important,” Seifer told Private Label ⇨ Store Brands. “This includes categories such as frozen meals, yogurt, coffee and carbonated soft drinks.”

To set their store brand yogurt apart from that of the national brands, retailers need to make sure they’re offering value-conscious consumers delicious-tasting products with flavors just as good as those of the national brands, Seifer explained. They also need to continually promote both the products’ taste and value to shoppers.

For more information, visit www.npd.com.

— R. Hofbauer