Butter & Margarine - US - December 2004

SUMMARY

Butter & Margarine - US - December 2004

Growth in the butter and margarine between 1999 and 2004 was similar toinflation, resulting in a flat market--a 1% decline. As a near universalhousehold food staple, this market is challenged to grow sales due to its maturestate. Rather than gaining sales for the market as a whole, sales are more oftenexchanged between the two segments--butter and margarine. Factors such aschanges in price, frequency of promotion, and health concerns have the mostinfluence over this volatile market. Margarine and butter are nearly equallysplit in terms of dollar sales, with margarine holding a slightly higher shareof the FDM market in 2004. Over the review period, margarine sales declined 15%at constant prices, whereas butter sales remained flat. In terms of volume,margarine accounts for two and a half times more volume sold than butter. Yet,butter is sold on feature, promotion or display at high percentages, especiallywhen volume is low due to high prices.

Butter sales have been slowly inching forward and this trend is expected tocontinue, as consumers become less concerned with saturated fat content and moreappreciative of flavor. As such, health concerns and diet trends have influencedmarket sales and will continue to do so. While margarine manufacturers have beenat the forefront of product innovation in terms of eliminating trans fatty acidsin its products, product promotion and education must certainly be effective tothwart sales from the butter segment.

Mintels report is a detailed analysis of the whole butter and margarinemarket, including market size, drivers, segmentation, trends, and distribution.Original consumer research delves into the attitudes behind purchasing behavior,and a five-year market forecast helps you prepare for the future in the butterand margarine market.

This report covers stick butter, soft butter, premium grade butter, andflavored butter. Also included are butter blends, margarines, spreads withyogurt, spreads with olive oil, and "functional" margarine such asTake Control. Squeezable butter blends, margarines, and spreads are included.

Other dairy items are excluded from the scope of this report, includingcheese, cream, milk-based products, olive oils, vegetable shortening, lard,rennet, and vegetable oils.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION AND ABBREVIATIONS

• Introduction
• Other Relevant Reports
• Definition
• Abbreviations & terms
• Abbreviations
• Terms

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• Flat market despite volatile segment performance
• Price steers consumers away from butter purchases
• Health concerns impact total market
• Home cooking
• Trends in the butter and margarine market
• Margarine supplier sells leading brands in market
• Butter and margarine manufacturers decrease adspend
• Supermarkets lead distribution
• The consumer
• The future of the butter and margarine market

MARKET DRIVERS

• Price fluctuations
• Health concerns and confusion
• Battling obesity
• Figure 1: Prevalence of obesity among adults aged 20 years and over,1997-2003
• The Demise of Home Cooking
• Figure 2: Food preparation habits, total and by age, February 2004
• A premium on taste

MARKET SIZE & TRENDS

• No real growth over review period
• Figure 3: Total U.S. sales of butter and margarine, at current andconstant prices, 1999-2004
• Graph 1: Total U.S. sales of butter and margarine, at current and constantprices, 1999-2004
• Market trends

MARKET SEGMENTATION

• Overview
• Figure 4: FDM sales of butter and margarine, segmented by product type,2002 & 2004
• Margarine
• Figure 5: FDM sales of margarine, 1999-2004
• Figure 6: FDM sales of margarine, by volume, 1999-2004
• Butter
• Figure 7: FDM sales of butter, 1999-2004
• Figure 8: FDM sales butter, by volume, 1999-2004

SUPPLY STRUCTURE

• FOREIGN TRADE
  • Imports
  • Figure 9: Butter imports, by value, 2001-2003
  • Figure 10: Margarine imports, by value, 2001-2003
  • Exports
  • Figure 11: Butter exports, by value, 2001-2003
  • Figure 12: Margarine exports, by value, 2001-2003
• MANUFACTURERS AND BRANDS
  • FDM sales by manufacturer
  • Figure 13: FDM sales of butter and margarine, by manufacturer, 2003& 2004*
  • Graph 2: FDM market share of sales by manufacturer, 2004*
  • FDM sales by manufacturer and brand
  • Margarine
  • Figure 14: FDM brand sales of margarine, 2003 & 2004*
  • Butter
  • Figure 15: FDM brand sales of butter, 2003 & 2004*
  • Major manufacturers and brands
  • Unilever
  • Land O Lakes
  • ConAgra Foods
  • GFA Brands, Inc.
  • Dairy Farmers of America
  • California Dairies Inc.

ADVERTISING & PROMOTION

• Overview
• Figure 16: Advertising expenditures by leading manufacturers in the butter& margarine market, 2002 and 2003
• Major manufacturers and brands
• Land O Lakes
• GFA Brands, Inc.
• ConAgra Foods
• Unilever
• Challenge Dairy Products (subsidiary of California Dairies Inc.)

RETAIL DISTRIBUTION

• Overview
• Figure 17: Sales of butter & margarine, by channel, 2002 & 2004
• Supermarkets
• Figure 18: Supermarket sales of butter & margarine, at current andconstant prices, 1999-2004
• Supermarket operating data
• Figure 19: Top supermarket operating statistics, latest fiscal year-end
• Figure 20: Percentage change from latest fiscal year-end versus year prior
• Mass merchandisers
• Figure 21: Mass merchandiser sales of butter & margarine, at currentand constant prices, 1999-2004
• Mass merchandiser operating data
• Figure 22: Top mass merchandiser operating statistics, latest fiscalyear-end
• Figure 23: Percentage change from latest fiscal year-end versus year prior

THE CONSUMER

• Introduction
• Household usage of butter and margarine
• Figure 24: Usage of butter and margarine, May 2003-April 2004
• Figure 25: Usage of butter and margarine, by age, May 2003-April 2004
• Figure 26: Usage of butter and margarine, by race/ethnicity, May2003-April 2004
• Figure 27: Usage of butter and margarine, by household income, May2003-April 2004
• Figure 28: Usage of butter and margarine, by region of residence, May2003-April 2004
• Frequency of usage for butter and margarine
• Figure 29: Frequency of butter and margarine usage, May 2003-April 2004
• Private label users
• Figure 30: Private label use, May 2003-April 2004
• Margarine use: Type, form and kind
• Figure 31: Usage of margarine, May 2003-April 2004
• Figure 32: Usage of margarine, by age, May 2003-April 2004
• Figure 33: Usage of margarine, by race/ethnicity, May 2003-April 2004
• Figure 34: Usage of margarine, by region of residence, May 2003-April 2004
• Baking and cooking
• Figure 35: Baking and cooking with butter or margarine, September 2004
• Figure 36: Baking and cooking with butter or margarine, by gender,September 2004
• Figure 37: Baking and cooking with butter or margarine, by age, September2004
• Figure 38: Baking and cooking with butter or margarine, by income,September 2004
• Figure 39: Baking and cooking with butter or margarine, by region ofresidence, September 2004
• Purchasing habits
• Figure 40: Butter and margarine purchasing preferences, September 2004
• Figure 41: Butter and margarine purchasing preferences, by genderSeptember 2004
• Figure 42: Butter and margarine purchasing preferences, by age, September2004
• Figure 43: Butter and margarine purchasing preferences, by income,September 2004
• Health concerns related to butter and margarine
• Figure 44: Attitudes towards health concerns related to butter andmargarine, September 2004
• Figure 45: Attitudes towards health concerns related to butter andmargarine, by age, September 2004
• Figure 46: Attitudes towards health concerns related to butter andmargarine, by income, September 2004
• Figure 47: Attitudes towards health concerns related to butter andmargarine, by region of residence, September 2004
• Convenience
• Figure 48: Convenience attitudes towards butter and margarine, September2004
• Figure 49: Convenience attitudes towards butter and margarine, by age,September 2004
• Figure 50: Convenience attitudes towards butter and margarine, by income,September 2004
• Figure 51: Convenience attitudes towards butter and margarine, by regionof residence, September 2004
• Summary

FUTURE & FORECAST

• FUTURE TRENDS
  • Volatile pricing
  • Shifts in population related to eating and cooking habits
  • Figure 52: U.S. population projections, 2004 and 2009
  • Decreasing incidence of home and scratch cooking
  • Retail expansion
• MARKET FORECAST
  • Butter and margarine
  • Figure 53: Forecast of total U.S. sales of butter and margarine, atcurrent and constant prices, 2004-2009
  • Graph 3: Sales of butter and margarine at current prices, 1999-2009
  • Margarine
  • Figure 54: Forecast of U.S. FDM sales of margarine, at current andconstant prices, 2004-2009
  • Butter
  • Figure 55: Forecast of U.S. FDM sales of butter, at current andconstant prices, 2004-2009
  • Forecast Factors

APPENDIX: TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

APPENDIX: NEW PRODUCT BRIEFS

• The Devon Cream Company: Double Devon Cream Butter
• Ventura Foods: Gold-N-Sweet Margarine
• Wal-Mart: Great Value, Soft Spread
• Target: Market Pantry Original Margarine
• GFA Brands: Smart Balance Buttery Burst! Spray
• H-E-B: Youd Think Its Butter Vegetable Spread
• Unilever Bestfoods: Promise

APPENDIX: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

• Consumer Research
• Sampling & Weighting
• Presentation & Definition
• Further Analysis
• Trade Research
• Informal trade research
• Formal trade research
• Desk & Internet Research
• Sources
• Definitions
• Forecasts

APPENDIX: WHAT IS MINTEL?

• Mintel Reports
• Global New Products Database
• ComperemediaR
• Mintel Services
• POS+
• Mintel Consultancy