According to the AHDB, the cows’ dairy sector returned to growth during the 12-week period ending 16 May 2026, with a year-on-year increase of 0.2%.
Milk and Cheese Trends
Cows milk volumes declined by 0.9% year-on-year, while spend rose by 5.9%, driven by a 6.8% increase in average prices, IndexBox reported. Declines were recorded for semi-skimmed, skimmed, and other cows milk. Whole milk continued to see volume growth, rising 2.6% year-on-year, attributed to increased occasions per buyer. Cows cheese remained in volume growth, with a 2.0% year-on-year increase. Spend grew by 2.1% during the period, primarily due to volume gains as average prices increased by only 0.1% because of higher promotional activity. Cheddar, which accounts for 44.5% of all cows cheese volumes, continued to decline by 0.5%, driven by a reduction in buyers. Other cows cheese (+9.5%), snacking (+6.7%), and speciality and continental (+3.0%) saw growth, fueled by consumer demand for healthier, high-protein options. This was particularly driven by cottage cheese (+1.4 million kg) and kids snacking (+0.6 million kg), offsetting declines in processed, British regionals, and Stilton and British blue cheeses.
Butter, Yogurt, and Cream
Butter saw a 0.1% decrease in volumes purchased year-on-year. Spend decreased by 1.3%, mainly due to average price reductions of 1.2% year-on-year, with lower wholesale prices feeding through to shoppers. Block butter remained the only subcategory to see volume growth (+7.6%), driven by consumer preference for less ultra-processed and more natural foods, though this was not enough to offset the decline in cows butter spread volumes (-3.6%). Cows yogurt, yogurt drinks, and fromage frais volumes continued to grow (+6.0%), with spend increasing 8.5% year-on-year, driven by higher volumes per buyer. Average prices paid grew 2.3%. Cows standard plain yogurt saw the fastest growth at 25.0% year-on-year, while cows fat-free yogurt saw the greatest actual growth, with an additional 3.6 million kg purchased year-on-year (+8.5%). Cows cream volumes decreased by 1.6% year-on-year, with a 5.2% increase in average prices paid and a 3.5% increase in spend. Aerosol cream saw the largest volume decrease (-17.5%), potentially due to consumers turning away from ultra-processed foods. Double (+0.2%) and other cream (+4.5%) were the only categories to see growth.
Fig.: Pixabay
