China’s first Plant Based Yogurt

On March 20th, Food Beverage Daily reported that industry giant Nongfu Spring announced a new series of plant based yogurt products, which will hit Shanghai grocery and convenience store shelves in April.

Not only is this Nongfu’s debut yogurt product, but it is also plant-based, making it the first plant-based yogurt product to go mainstream in China. This mainstream plant-based yogurt brand may be the start of a completely new category of yogurt in the industry. This new product comes at the height of what could be considered the plant-based revolution.

According to Innova Market Insights, plant-based products increased 62% globally in just four years from 2013 to 2017. During a press release, Lu Ann Williams, director of innovation at Innova, said that alternatives to dairy products are especially high in demand, including non-dairy yogurt, which saw a growth of 48% in sales during the same four-year period. With 0% dairy, 0% cholesterol, 0% trans-fat, 0% sodium, and 0% lactose, this product mainly targets health-conscious consumers, as well as the lactose intolerant (up to 90% of East Asians in some communities), and those looking for a healthy, low-fat alternative.

Nongfu plans on releasing three different yogurt products including walnut, coconut and almond. 

This article is written with the support of Chaniece Brackeen from Plant-Based Consulting China.