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Belgian consumers certainly do not give up dairy products
Belgian consumers are not yet in the grip of dairy alternatives. Their home consumption of dairy increased last year in both value (+3%) and volume (+4%). The consumption of plant-based alternatives did increase more, but in total it still did not make much difference.
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This is evident from data from retail website YouGov Belgium, which investigated purchases on behalf of the Flemish Centre for Agro- and Fisheries Marketing (VLAM).
Last year, 72% of Belgians ate or drank at least one dairy product, usually milk, cheese, butter or yoghurt. Regular drinking milk remained the most popular dairy product, with an average home consumption of 33 litres per person per year. Cheese consumption remained the same at 12 kilos per person. Yoghurt did slightly less with 10 litres per person per year, while cream, butter, desserts and ice cream were consumed at 2,2 litres, 1,5 kilos, 3,7 kilos and 4,8 litres respectively, in all cases more than in the previous year. Consumption of soft cheese fell to 2,4 kilos per person.
Plant-based dairy alternatives are still gaining popularity. Last year, more than one in six Belgians used plant-based dairy alternatives. Mostly margarine and plant-based drinks. Consumption of the latter category increased for the second year in a row, from 3,1 liters per person in 2023 to 3,3 liters last year. That is an increase of 8%. Nevertheless, milk and milk drinks continue to dominate the market.
The Belgians wanted to try something. Last year, 42% of Belgian households bought a milk substitute drink at least once.