The Health Appeal of More Sustainable Yogurt Packaging

The COVID-19 outbreak has prompted many consumers to pay greater attention to their health and, consequently, food choices.

FMCG Gurus research conducted in the wake of the pandemic found that 59% of consumers say they have become more conscious about their overall health and 57% about their immune systems due to the pandemic. As a result, 73% of consumers say that they plan to eat and drink healthier.

Consumers’ attitudes, priorities and behaviours are shifting. Many are also craving comfort and familiarity in a time of such uncertainty. This puts well-known yoghurt brands in a favourable position.

The figures speak for themselves: in the last few months, the likes of Danone and Müller saw their dairy products flying off the shelves – and it is a similar picture across the industry.

Promoting the health benefits of yoghurt

The rising wave of health-consciousness among consumers and preference for less-processed foods are primary market drivers.

A Financial Times article reported that well-known healthy packaged foods have seen sales rise over the pandemic period. This is indicative of a wider trend of people searching for natural food products.

Harvard’s School of Public Health notes that yoghurt has many health-giving properties. Globally, 54% of consumers say they understand that probiotics can promote good digestive health, with yoghurt cited as a top source. This can bring new relevance to yoghurt brands, who should look to make their gut-support credentials more prominent through their packaging.

Source: Lightspeed/Mintel

Plant-based culture is growing

Alongside today’s health-conscious trend comes the rise of plant-based dairy alternatives, with recent Nielsen data data showing that plant-based yoghurt grew by 30.8%.

In fact, 36-44% of European consumers agree that plant-based yoghurts are just as tasty as dairy-based yoghurts. And 45% of Polish consumers agree that swapping dairy-based yoghurt and yoghurt drinks with plant-based alternatives is good for the environment. [1]

Plant-based yoghurt flavours and styles can be diversified to leverage consumer interest in dairy alternatives. This will enable brands to gain a stronger foothold among flexitarians and dairy-reducers, while still remaining relevant in the dairy sector.

Of course, consumers don’t choose products based on health benefits alone. To get them to read the label, shelf appeal and quality still reign supreme. With up to 280 yoghurt SKUs in a typical European hypermarket – including fat-free, children's, natural, active health, Greek, dairy-free, indulgent and many more – shelf standout is more a necessity than a “nice to have.”

At Amcor, we offer a range of yogurt packaging solutions – such as our Die Cut lidding range – that are highly versatile and customisable, with high-seal integrity. These solutions are perfect for brands seeking packaging that ensures product freshness plus the ability to incorporate high-quality designs that communicate a product’s benefit.

Recommended read: Five factors to consider when selecting die-cuts – download our free e-book

Probiotics and pro-sustainable?

FMCG Gurus research found that consumers have connected with environmental concerns due to the pandemic, because they have witnessed the environment ‘heal’ itself as emissions dropped following COVID-19 restrictions. 55% of consumers said they have become more conscious about the environment and 35% said that they are now paying closer attention to sustainability claims.

For yoghurt brands, this creates an opportunity to build a relationship with customers: by communicating the digestive health benefits of their product, plus the sustainability credentials of their packaging.

With a long history of dairy packaging across Europe, Amcor delivers a clear and simple portfolio of solutions to meet dairy brands' needs. Robustness, strength and product protection are essential from production to purchase. And once the product is eaten, ease of opening, premium quality and product freshness are vital to the consumer experience. As one example, our CrystalLid with its highly transparent lidding maximize shelf-impact, enhancing the food visibility and the quality perception.

Alternately, for printed lidding, our BreatheLid solution provides an excellent branding opportunity for dairy manufacturers to create a point of difference with high-quality print and colour reproduction.

In the aluminium lidding category, our SealLack lidding range uses aluminium foil of various thicknesses and a special heat seal system that delivers up to 24% weight reduction and 42% carbon footprint reduction* versus a standard PET lidding film. And it's designed to be recyclable where appropirate aluminium recycling streams exist.

Curious to learn more about sustainability in yoghurt packaging? Read our latest report, exploring the state of recyclability in dairy pots and lidding.

*Based on comparison of die-cut Alu 37 vs. die-cut PET 50

[1] Source: Mintel – “A year of innovation in Yogurt, 2020”