Why are yogurt sales down?

According to Nielsen data, yogurt sales fell 6% from February 2018 through February 2019.  And, Greek yogurt sales fell by 11%.  The category had been growing steadily in the past five years, from $8 billion to $8.8 billion in 2017, so it was a bit of a surprise. (Forbes, 2019)

There has been much speculation about why.

Chobani CMO Peter McGuinness attributes the decline to "too many choices" based on the fact that the average supermarket now carries 306 different varieties of yogurt.

Another possibility is that health conscious Millennials have moved on to dairy-free options.  That segment of the category is expected to grow 4.9% annually for the next decade.

Or perhaps the taste options are not up to Millennial standards.  That could be resolved by new recipe hacks like "Beets and Pistachio" from Lynne Ireland.

But mostly I keep thinking about how I sometimes have to go to several stores in my neighborhood to find Organic Plain Fat Free yogurt.  Maybe it's just a matter of better inventory management.

So why do you think yogurt sales are down?  Is it due to analysis paralysis from too many choices?  A shift to trendier non-dairy options (i.e. social proof)?  Desire for more exotic flavors?  Poor inventory control?  Or something else?

Forbes, T. (2019, April 10)  Is Diversity A Bane Or Boom For The Yogurt Culture?  mediapost.com.  Retrieved April 17, 2019, from  https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/334329/is-diversity-a-bane-or-boom-for-the-yogurt-culture.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=113543&hashid=Pumyb0Zq27pukAWPYSxcJWfpafM