Consumers are ditching kids’ yoghurt from their children’s diets to the detriment of their health, but reversing this trend can help retailers tap into a £150m sales opportunity over the next five years, claims Yoplait.
A lack of dairy in kids’ diets is jeopardising their future health, according to a new report commissioned by Yoplait, which kickstarts the firm’s new campaign to raise awareness about the nutritional value of kids’ yoghurt. The report will be supported by PR, OOH advertising, social and digital campaigns, and a mass sampling campaign, as well as in-store activations.
Over a million kids are currently in danger of poor development and growth because they lack key nutrients such as vitamin D, calcium and iodine, which are all found in fortified kids’ yoghurts, claims the report.
The research shows that parents are switching out of nutrient-rich kids’ yoghurt to biscuits, cakes and confectionery and Yoplait wants retailers to help back their campaign to educate consumers on the health benefits of yoghurt.
The ‘Kids’ yoghurt and consumers: a relationship turned sour’ report, written by dietician Dr Carrie Ruxton, addresses the 10-year decline in the kids’ yoghurt and fromage frais category. Over the same timeframe, calcium intakes in children have fallen significantly and just under a fifth of 4-10-year-olds are clinically deficient in vitamin D1 – to the extent that bone health diseases, such as rickets, are resurfacing again for the first time since the 1950s.
Yoplait pledges to debunk damaging myths around the category by re-educating consumers on the nutritional benefits of kids’ yoghurts. The firm will be working with retailers to highlight the importance of correctly merchandising kids’ yoghurts. For example, it is vital to adopt clear signposting to help parents differentiate between nutritious kids’ yoghurts, which make for a healthy snack, and yoghurt-based desserts, which are high in sugar and belong in the occasional treat category.
Ewa Moxham, UK head of marketing at Yoplait, says: “We believe children’s nutrition in the UK is in a perilous state and, unless there is positive change, it will have serious repercussions for generations to come. Unlike most adult yoghurts, kids’ yoghurts are not just full of dairy goodness, they have also been fortified with essential nutrients such as vitamin D and calcium, which are important in supporting children’s bone health and development. Kids are missing out on the vital nutrients that yoghurt can provide due to incorrect assumptions that the product doesn’t have benefits.”
“As market leaders in kids’ yoghurts, with brands such as Petits Filous and Frubes, we want to be the positive voice in providing guidance on the health credentials of the category. For 15 years, we have been leaders in the fortification of kids’ yoghurts with calcium and vitamin D. We believe in the power of nourishing young minds and bodies with wholesome and delicious food, and we understand that encouraging children and their parents to make the right food choices is not only important for their wellbeing, but also for their future.”
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