Consumers turning to cottage cheese as healthy snack of choice

New snackpot formats and creative flavours are helping give rise to a new generation of cottage cheese-lovers in the UK, according to Arla Foods, the nation’s biggest dairy company and co-operative as well as producer of more than half (55%) of the cottage cheese we eat.

As a ready-to-eat food, that is also high in protein, cottage cheese has long been popular with the health conscious but statistics indicate it is now becoming more popular amongst the wider public.  Across Europe, Arla has seen production increase by 111% since 2009.

Cottage cheese is beneficial for a healthy living because it contains a high amount of protein; in fact it contains more protein than a standard yoghurt, with around 10g protein per 100g. It’s also a great source of calcium for healthy teeth and bones, and is rich in B vitamins, Riboflavin and B2.

But health benefits aside, Arla’s experience indicates convenience is also key as lunch pots are driving penetration and growth, with retailer brands being rolled out across more than UK 4,500 stores in two years. Arla figures show 43% of people who buy lunch pots hadn’t bought a cottage cheese product in the previous three months and tend to be younger families and convenience shoppers.

Julie Welford, Retail Brand Manager at Arla, said: “Many consumers today demand on-the-go foods that don’t compromise on health. Cottage cheese, in its many forms, is the perfect answer, whether you’re an athlete trying to build muscle, or someone looking for a healthy lunchbox snack.”

Protein facts

·  Milk protein is a high quality protein because of its high content of the amino acids (protein building blocks) that the human body needs on a daily basis

·  In adults, protein is needed to maintain and increase muscle mass - but eating protein alone is not sufficient to make muscles grow and physical activity is also needed

·  Protein is needed for normal growth and development of bone in children

Arla Foods is a global dairy company and co-operative owned by 12,600 dairy farmers circa 2,800 of whom are British.

Dating back to 1881, Arla’s purpose is to secure the highest value for its farmers’ milk, while creating opportunities for their growth. With production facilities in 11 countries and sales offices in a further 30, Arla is the world’s sixth largest dairy company and largest supplier of organic dairy products. Arla has a total of more than 18,000 colleagues and its products are sold under the well-known brands Arla®, Lurpak® and Castello® in more than 100 countries.

Arla Foods UK is the largest dairy company in the country and is home to leading dairy brands Anchor, Cravendale, and Lactofree. It processes 3.5 billion litres of milk a year and has a turnover of £2.2 billion. As well as being number one in fresh liquid milk, butter, spreads and cream, Arla is the UK’s largest cheese manufacturer. It has also built the world’s largest fresh milk facility located at Aylesbury and has plans for it to be the first zero carbon site of its kind. The UK business has a team of approximately 4,000 colleagues located at its dairies, distribution centres and head office.