Study: Households with children buy more higher-fat milk

New research suggests households with children purchase larger quantities of and higher-fat fluid milk compared to households without children.

In an article appearing in JDS Communications, researchers found households that frequently bought food for children are interested in dairy as part of their diet and purchased larger quantities of fluid milk and more fluid milk with higher fat content.

The US-based study by Purdue University and Oklahoma State University collected data from 1440 respondents.

Study author Mario Ortez said the sample was targeted to be representative of the US population in terms of sex, age, income, education and geographical region of residence as defined by the 2016 US Census Bureau.

Along with finding households that frequently purchased food for children generally purchased larger quantities of milk with high-fat content, the study also found these households also purchased more yoghurt.

Other survey findings indicated that cheese and milk are purchased most often for part of a meal and yoghurt is bought most frequently as a snack. The survey also found that households reported reviewing product attributes of price, expiration date and nutritional information (in that order) on egg, milk and meat labels.

Matthew Lucy, Editor-in-Chief of JDS Communications, said the study demonstrates the continued belief among American consumers that dairy products are an important part of a healthy diet fed to children.

“The popularity of whole milk, cheese and yogurt within these households suggests that children enjoy the taste of dairy products and are happy to have them served during regular meals and at snack time,” Lucy said.

These findings could impact product marketing efforts and stakeholder decisions in the US dairy industry. Policymakers and companies could also use the information to help inform product labelling and better target necessary segments to increase product awareness.

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