Yogurt pouches for adults: A trend or a blip?

Yogurt pouches, smoothie pouches, you name it – a format that has thrived as a food innovation for children is increasingly vying for the attention of adults.

From Nestlé to Arla Foods, yogurt pouches – both refrigerated and shelf-stable – have started to appear in supermarket aisles in recent years as manufacturers respond to consumer demand for on-the-go snacks that balance healthfulness with taste and convenience.

In the US, Chobani is marketing a high-protein, lactose-free, no-added-sugar range of Greek yogurt pouches; and Nestlé-owned Outshine expanded its shelf-stable Fruit & Yogurt Smoothie Pouches for kids and adults this summer following the range’s 2022 release.

Over in Europe, Arla Foods released a line of high-protein yogurt pouches under its Arla Protein brand in 2017, while UK premium yogurt brand The Collective entered the fray this month with 7 flavors of pouched yogurt for grown-ups.

Elsewhere, we are told the format is gaining traction in Australia, where Farmers Union is among the players that markets pouched yogurt for both adults (fortified with probiotics) and children (advertised as a high-calcium, low-sugar affair). Danone is also present there with its YoPRO range.

But outside of filling a narrow product niche, does the format have a greater potential?

According to The Collective’s marketing director Tor Hunt-Taylor, pouches could add value to the entire adult yogurt category in the UK. “We predict the pouch format will add value to the adult yogurt category as consumers will purchase alongside their current products of choice, which include Greek style/natural or fruited big pot options,” he said. “Additionally, the range has been designed to consume on separate occasions to our existing adult range, either out-of-home or on-the-go. Importantly, the pouch format removes historical barriers to consuming yogurt like the need to carry a spoon.”

The Collective is the fastest-growing kids yogurt brand (+16.5% YoY, growing 2.8x faster than the market) and claims its Suckies range of kids pouches have been attracting adults to the format for some time. The main target market for the brand’s new range are “young, professional urban dwellers with a busy life looking for on the go snacking solutions [as well as] parents who sneakily eat their kids’ Suckies from the fridge, and wish these were bigger,” Hunt-Taylor told us. “Anecdotally, we knew that adults were consuming the Kids Suckies pouches; popularity in other markets also suggests that UK adults would be attracted to pouches.”

Market intelligence suggests yogurt can address the need for guilt-free snacking: according to Mintel data quoted by The Collective, more than a third (39%) of UK consumers eat yogurt as a snack; 40% feel guilty when snacking, and 59% see yogurt as a guilt-free snack. Label claims, such as high-protein, low-fat and no added sugar can also be utilized to appeal to adults (more on that later).

But with the format currently being more widely associated with kids snacking, there’s a potential barrier to adoption. Has The Collective considered those perception issues and strategized about overcoming them?

“In other markets such as Australia and the Netherlands, it is already a common behavior and, in the UK, protein pouches are becoming better known,” Hunt-Taylor said. “Whilst some consumers may never eat from a pouch or drink from a bottle, we are confident of the size of the UK opportunity based on international markets.

“Of course, it is a big behavioral shift: both eating yogurt from a pouch and seeing that yogurt is now a snack category for eating on the go.”

Meanwhile, the adult products have been ranged away from the kids’ segment in stores, and benefit from shopper marketing targeted towards adults, the company’s marketing director explained.

Driving demand through label claims and nutritional value

With active consumers and those looking for guilt-free snacking being the main target market for pouched yogurt, label claims are instrumental in driving product acceptance. Protein, for example, is the lead health claim that brands currently cater to. Danone added two flavored yogurt pouches to its GetPRO range in the UK recently, while Arla Foods has been selling Arla Protein pouches in the UK since 2017 (with pouches for adults featured under the Arla Skyr and Breaker brands in other markets).

Amy Punchard, brand manager for Arla Protein, said: “Our protein pouches have been a great success and form an important part of our portfolio, currently worth over £14m RSV and growing at +30.4% value in the last 52 weeks. For comparison, our five 200g yogurt pot flavors are worth £32m and growing by 28.3% value in the last 52 weeks, and our milkshakes range is worth £6.5m RSV, growing at 284% value in the last 52 weeks [data from Nielsen, L52w w/e 13/07/2024]. Arla Protein pouches are HFSS compliant, low in fat and have 20g protein per pouch, meaning adults can grab a healthy, satiating, mess-free snack to enjoy anywhere, anytime.”

Punchard added that the growth rate of protein pouches and the many recent new entrants in this area demonstrates a growing demand for yogurt pouches for adults in the UK. “This demand is being influenced by the growth of the protein sector and an increasing awareness of the benefits of yogurt as a healthy, natural, convenient, and filling snack that consumers can feel good about,” the brand manager added.

Elsewhere, Australia’s Farmers Union highlight the presence of live cultures on-pack while Outshine in the US leverages low-fat, low-calorie and no-added-sugar claims on pack.

And in another move to entice grown-ups, the Nestlé-owned brand positioned its fruit-filled smoothie yogurt pouches as… cocktail kits. “Inspired by TikTok users' love for fruit-filled cocktails and creative parents looking to use the rest of their kids' snack pouches, the limited-edition Fruit Cocktail Kit is the ultimate shortcut to delicious summer beverages like a Peach Raspberry Bellini, Blueberry Pear Mimosa or Strawberry Coconut Colada,” the company said. “Perfect for a day at the beach…, this blend of fruit and yogurt can be transformed into your favorite fruit-forward cocktail in seconds.”

Back in the UK, The Collective’s seven new flavors feature different claims on-pack, from live cultures and ‘real fruit’ to immune support and high in vitamins. "All 'need states’ or propositions were based on consumer insight and macro trends we see in other areas of food and drink, both in the UK and internationally. Our role as ‘the dairy shaker uppers’ is to bring these to dairy and yogurt,” product director Holly Pink said.

With evidence of NPD activity and market intelligence data suggesting continuing demand for guilt-free snacks, yogurt pouches for adults will be a format to watch closely.