• Oats have really earned their place in the niche but growing plant-based ice cream sector, according to new Mintel data. But manufacturers must still meet consumer expectations for texture.
Although plant-based ice cream remains a niche sector, in Europe it enjoyed sales growth of 14% in 2020-2022, according to Good Food Institute. About 14 percent of Germans now eat dairy-free ice cream, up from 9 percent in 2019, according to Mintel.
Oats have long been the main ingredient in plant-based milk alternatives and have now become a favorite in the ice cream sector, new research by Mind GNPD.
Product launches that include oat milk as a base ingredient account for around three in ten (27%) European plant-based ice cream launches between April 2022 and March 2023, the data shows, almost double the share they represented- o in the same period in 2021-2022 and triple the share in 2019-2020. The share of European plant-based ice cream launches with oat milk as an ingredient was almost double that of almond milk launches between April 2022 and March 2023.
In the UK, young consumers are more likely to associate oat milk with sustainable farming, thus explaining their preference for oat-based ice cream. Manufacturers may be tempted to take advantage of this attitude and replace other plant-based ice creams in their existing products with oat variants or add an oat milk variant to their current plant-based range.
Perception of taste and texture
However, one challenge facing plant-based ice cream brands is taste and texture perception. Only a third (35%) of UK consumers agree that dairy-free ice cream is as enjoyable as milk-based ice cream.
In addition to oat milk and soy milk, it is starting to gain market share. In 2022-2023, over a quarter (26%) of ice cream launches in the UK had soya as an ingredient, second only to oats, with around a third (32%) of all launches. And many other alternatives, such as hemp and pea milk, despite their strong environmental profile, have struggled to gain ground in consumer preferences.
Experts point out that oats have been the top ingredient in plant-based milk alternatives for some time, helped by their reputation for being nutritious and their planet-friendly cultivation.
Ice cream manufacturers are advised to take advantage of the popularity of oat milk to target young consumers, basing their sales strategy on its unique taste and lower environmental footprint.
However, being environmentally friendly alone will not ensure the success of plant-based ingredients. They must also deliver results in terms of taste, price and usability that go far beyond sustainability in consumers' food and drink choices.
Article written by Gabriela Dan, Editor of Arta Albă
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