Flavored milk consumption will grow at more than double the rate of white milk globally between 2012 and 2015, according to new research from Tetra Pak.
Health conscious consumers turning to nutrient-rich milk products, particularly in developing countries, are said to drive the growth of packaged flavoured milk as an alternative to other beverages.
Flavored milk consumption is set to increase globally by a compound annual rate (CAGR) of 4.1% between 2012 and 2015, rising from 17 billion liters to 19.2 billion liters, according to the research.
White milk is set to grow by 1.7% (CAGR) during the same period - from 208.5 billion liters in 2012 to 219.5 billion liters in 2015.
Liquid dairy product (LDP) demand will increase by 2.4% from 280.3 billion liters to 301.3 billion liters during this period.
Tetra Pak Group president and CEO Dennis Jonsson said: "With white milk increasingly commoditized, flavored milk offers dairies the opportunity to provide value not only to consumers but to their bottom line."
In the US, the volume of consumption of white milk will decline by 6.5% by 2015. However, flavored milk is growing and expected to increase to 9.5% by 2015.
The growth rate for flavored milk consumption is expected to be more than triple that of carbonated soft drinks in 2012-2015. During this period, carbonated soft drinks are forecast to grow by 1.3% (CAGR).
Globally, seven of the world's top 10 flavored milk markets are developing countries with China on the top, followed by the US and India.
Increased demand for flavored milk from 2009 to 2012 was mainly driven by four emerging countries: Brazil, China, India and Indonesia.
While developing countries accounted for 66% of flavored milk consumption in 2012, this is forecast to rise to 69% by 2015.
