Why Dairy Drinks Trends Are Winning This Year
HRA Global in The Dairymen: what’s shaping dairy drinks growth in 2026
In The Grocer’s The Dairymen latest feature on dairy drinks trends, one number sets the scene. In fact, UK dairy drinks are now worth £480.8m at the tills. That’s up 14.4% year on year, with volumes 3.8% higher [Worldpanel by Numerator, 52 w/e 14 June 2026]. However, that growth is about to collide with three pressures at once: regulation, health claims and foodservice trends.
What’s driving dairy drinks trends this year
The biggest single story behind these dairy drinks trends is regulatory. First, from 1 January 2028, the Soft Drinks Industry Levy extends to cover RTD coffees and milkshakes. The sugar threshold also falls, from 5g to 4.5g per 100ml. Some exemptions remain. For example, “open cup” cafe milkshakes, plain milk and high-fermented drinking yogurts all stay outside the levy. That’s why Yoplait’s Yop, at least 90% fermented milk, falls outside the tax.
However, Hamish Renton, CEO of HRA Global, has a warning for anyone assuming protein keeps them safe. Protein claims won’t shield a product from the tax, he points out in the piece. Some protein shakes carry more added sugar per 100ml than the standard version of the same brand. So it’s often the high-protein, lactose-free lines that shoppers assume are “healthy” that face the least relief. Coffee remains the category’s biggest growth driver regardless. Value is up 24.0% to £203.6m over the same period [Worldpanel by Numerator, 52 w/e 14 June 2026].
Fibre and foodservice are shaping what comes next
These dairy drinks trends aren’t only about tax. Fibre is chasing protein as the category’s next health trend. But it runs into a different kind of problem: language. As Renton puts it, “the biology isn’t in question; the language is.” In fact, only barley or oat grain fibre is currently authorised to make that claim. It has to say fibre “contributes to normal bowel function,” he notes — not a claim that sells milkshakes. Also, his view on protein is similarly precise. The next stage of these dairy drinks trends is unpacking protein, not piling more of it in. Casein gives a slow release, he explains, while whey gives a fast one.
Elsewhere, foodservice is doing some of grocery’s product testing for it. Renton notes that cafes and coffee shops work to a six-week development cycle. By contrast, grocery takes six months or more. That’s why trends like matcha lattes and dessert-style drinks show up in coffee shops first. They tend to reach supermarket shelves later.
What dairy drinks trends means for brands and retailers
For suppliers, the honest starting point is simple. Reformulation, labelling and NPD can’t be handled separately any more. Also, a recipe built to dodge the sugar tax still has to taste right. A fibre claim has to stay within the authorised wording. And a foodservice-tested flavour still needs to work on a supermarket shelf. Similarly, retailers have a genuine planning task ahead of January 2028. The job is working out which own-label and branded lines will shift tax bands, well before the change lands. Ultimately, the suppliers who treat these dairy drinks trends as one connected pipeline are best placed to keep growth going. That beats treating tax, fibre and foodservice as three separate problems.
You can also explore more consumer and category insight on our Insights and Opinions page.
