Favourites recreated – without lactose

Dóra Szekeres
head of  HELL ICE COFFEE
HELL ENERGY
Magyarország

Dóra Szekeres, head of the HELL ICE COFFEE brand at HELL ENERGY Magyarország Kft. opines that consumers prefer alternatives that don’t contain animal milk or lactose – because of health reasons, food allergies or conscious lifestyle choices.

“HELL ICE COFFEE has been offering lactose-free product versions for years. Currently our lactose-free portfolio includes HELL ICE COFFEE Coconut and Salted Caramel”,

informs Dóra Szekeres.

The lactose-free coffee category is dominated by smaller product sizes. HELL ICE COFFEE drinks are available in 100% recyclable aluminium cans. Recently the company has launched the limited edition HELL ICE COFFEE Chai Latte.

A wide palette

Reacting to growing consumer demand, Sole-Mizo produces lactose-free alternatives in almost every dairy product segment.

Luca Farsang
brand manager
Sole-Mizo

“Under the Mizo brand, significant growth can be observed in sales of lactose-free flavoured milk drinks and iced coffees. According to NIQ data, lactose-free flavoured milk drinks already account for 12% of the total offering and the market share of lactose-free iced coffees is 21% – and both of them show double-digit growth. Last year Mizo came out with the very popular Roasted Pistachio flavoured latte, which isn’t only lactose-free but is also made without added sugar”,

informs Luca Farsang, brand manager of Sole-Mizo Zrt. //

 

Thanks to the margin freeze, consumer prices for lactose-free product variants have fallen significantly in several categories

 

Changing consumption habits

The number of people following special diets keeps growing, but conscious nutrition and health considerations are also playing a role in consumer choices. According to statistics from Kifli.hu, 20% of shoppers regularly put a special dietary product in their shopping basket. 58% of the population aged between 16 and 75 years eat some kind of special food. One fifth of Hungarians choose lactose-free products, almost half prefer sugar-free versions, while one tenth of the population purchase gluten-free foods and ingredients. Kifli.hu’s mission is to make quality products that fit a special diet accessible to everyone. As part of this strategy, from February the online grocery store cut the prices of more than 25 flagship lactose-free, gluten-free and low-sugar products by 15-50%. Kifli.hu currently sells 1,283 special diet products in the dry, frozen, bakery and chilled categories. //