Total U.S. milk consumption has been on a slow but steady decline for many years. But, the double-digit dollar sales declines reflected here are due almost entirely to last year's collapse in wholesale dairy prices, after farm-gate prices reached record highs the prior year, in 2008.
Unit sales figures indicate that consumption has been flat for the past 18 months, with supermarket channel volume dropping 0.3% in calendar 2009, and by 1.4% during the latest 52 weeks ending June 13.
Whole milk once again bore the brunt, with unit sales were down more than 6%. Due to declining prices, that drop translated into a 15.6% slide in dollar sales for the subcategory. Skim and lowfat milk fared better, with volume down less than 1%. And, unit sales growth continued for milkshakes, kefir/soymilk and flavored milks/eggnog/buttermilk.
| 52 WEEKS ENDING JUNE 13, 2010 | DOLLAR SALES | % CHANGE FROM LAST YEAR |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | $10.1B | -10.2 |
| Drug | $411.0M | -10.5 |
| F/D/Mx | $10.8B | -10.0 |
| CALENDAR YEAR | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|
| DOLLAR SALES | |||
| Supermarkets | $11.7B | $12.0B | $10.2B |
| Drug | $497.9M | $510.2M | $405.0M |
| F/D/Mx | $12.4B | $12.8B | $10.8B |
SUBCATEGORIES
| 52 WEEKS ENDING JUNE 13, 2010 | DOLLAR SALES | % CHANGE FROM LAST YEAR |
|---|---|---|
| Rfg Flavored Milk/Eggnog/Buttermilk | $694.2M | -2.2 |
| Rfg Kefir/Milk Substitutes/Soymilk | $495.0M | 4.3 |
| Rfg Milkshakes/Non-Dairy Drinks | $54.7M | 0.8 |
| Rfg Skim/Lowfat Milk | $6.4B | -9.9 |
| Rfg Whole Milk | $2.4B | -15.6 |
