The expansion of non-dairy beverages in the European market has highlighted the falling demand for the dairy-based beverages. The reason being lactose intolerance by the consumers coupled to the recent innovations in the non-dairy beverages. The reported 20 percent rise in the sales of soy-based product in the late 1990’s has risen to 60 percent sales in the European supermarkets.
Innovative chilled soy drinks, soy mixes and rice drinks have been making their way to the retail store shelves to replace the dairy drinks. However, these non-dairy products have made large over the years, their benefits over milk-based proteins is yet to be judged.
The rise in sales in the non-dairy beverages has to be taken along with the fall in the dairy-based beverages along with reasons and consequences of the latter from the consumer’s perspective. Consumer’s deviation from age-old goodness of dairy based food can be a matter of concern.
