Milk: The New Sugar-Sweetened Beverage?
A few weeks old, I know, but I just stumbled on an article in South Coast Today about flavored milk products.
The article explains that the food and beverage industry is growing its bottled milk business because, as one parent said, they would give their child “any milk he likes”.
It also mentions that Pepsi is hot on their tail.
Next month, Coke’s chief rival, PepsiCo Inc., will begin rolling out Quaker Milk Chillers in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic region. The product — 14-ounce bottles of chocolate, strawberry and vanilla milk — is targeted at 13- to 24-year-olds for snacks and breakfast. They are the largest segment of flavored-milk drinkers.
-from Making Milk Cool, South Coast Today
Like anything else, there is somewhat of a controversy over these new products. Since they tend to be sugar sweetened, they often have at least as much sugar as sodas. But since they are made with milk instead of water, the industry argues that it is still a far more nutritious alternative.
The article also echoed some forward looking statements by Roy Warren, Bravo Foods’ CEO.
According to Bravo chief executive Roy Warren, the flavored-milk industry has grown from about $750 million in 1995 to $2 billion in 2004. His own company had $3.3 million in revenue last year. This year, he said, he expects sales to be at least $13 million. If Coke exercises its options and buys a majority stake in his company, sales would increase to well over $20 million, he said.
-from Making Milk Cool, South Coast Today
