Food companies are moving away from their traditionally sweet cultured dairy products to explore new flavor combinations. Whether it’s a new product line or a switch in demand focus, savory flavors for yogurt, cream cheese and dips are making increased appearances in grocery stores, according to Dairy Foods.

Consumers are more aware that cultured food can help maintain a healthy gut and contribute to weight management. These health benefits, paired with emerging flavor trends, have pushed the cultured dairy category to become even more competitive.

Cultured dairy trends on the rise reported by the Dairy Foods article include:

• Savory yogurt: Flavor boredom is affecting consumers who want bolder flavors in their favorite snack items. Savory flavors, such as spicy and bitter, are inspiring first-time flavor combinations that draw in trend-savvy consumers. Even though a majority of U.S. consumers still expect their yogurt to be sweet, savory flavors are predicted to take off as preferences evolve.

• Drinkable yogurt: Convenience continues to drive new product formats with spoonable and drinkable yogurts forecasted to grow through 2020. In fact, yogurt drinks, like smoothies and yogurt-style fermented drinks, are predicted to have a larger growth rate than spoonable yogurt. This allows savory flavors to transition into on-the-go yogurt for nutrition throughout the day.

• Spicy cream cheese and dips: Savory flavors are new to yogurt, but dips based in cream cheese and sour cream have been experimenting with flavor for some time. Now, companies are starting to add even more spice to the mix using jalapenos, vegetables and spice blends.

• Whole-milk dairy: Consumers are redefining what a healthy diet is, and fat is getting a new and improved reputation in the process. Fat is now viewed as “good for you,” which is creating a shift toward whole milk cultured options. Consumers want fewer processed products and more products made with real ingredients, and whole-milk can support these clean label efforts.

The future of cultured dairy looks promising as more household food and beverage brands follow the trend to create unique yogurt flavors and formats, turn up the spice in cream cheeses and dips, and incorporate more whole-milk dairy into their cultured products.