Dairy demand stayed strong

Americans kept buying butter, cheese and ice cream in 2024, even as appetite-suppressing drugs spread and food companies braced for smaller baskets. (ers.usda.gov) (dairyreporter.com) United States Department of Agriculture data show butter consumption hit 6.8 pounds per person in 2024, a record, while total cheese held at 41.9 pounds per person and regular ice cream rose to 12 pounds per person. Overall dairy consumption measured 651 pounds per person on a milk-equivalent, milk-fat basis in 2024, near the highs the agency has tracked since 1975. (idfa.org) (ers.usda.gov) The cheese line was not a one-year spike. A United States Department of Agriculture chart shows per capita cheese consumption at 39.515 pounds in 2024, just below 39.82 pounds in 2023 after a decade of steady gains. (ers.usda.gov) Glucagon-like peptide-1 drugs, often called GLP-1s, work by slowing digestion and reducing appetite, and retail researchers say users do buy less food after starting them. Circana said nearly 23% of United States households were using GLP-1 drugs by late 2025, and Food Business News reported Cornell University and Numerator found grocery spending fell about 5.5% in the six months after adoption. (circana.com) (foodbusinessnews.net) That pullback has shown up in category data. The Cornell-Numerator study, as reported by Food Business News, found spending by GLP-1 users fell 5% to 10% in cheese, butter, and ice cream and whipped cream, along with cookies, chips and other calorie-dense foods. (foodbusinessnews.net) The national dairy numbers and the shopper-panel numbers are measuring different things. United States Department of Agriculture food availability data estimate how much food is available for people to consume nationwide, while household panel studies track what a defined group buys before and after starting a drug. (ers.usda.gov) (foodbusinessnews.net) Manufacturers are adjusting anyway, especially in snacks. Circana says GLP-1 users are shifting toward products that promise protein, hydration and convenience, and industry coverage this month says food makers are reformulating snacks with more protein and fiber for that market. (circana.com) (bakeryandsnacks.com) The dairy mix is shifting inside the freezer case too. United States Department of Agriculture said total ice cream and frozen dairy production fell to 1.386 billion gallons in 2024, but regular ice cream kept roughly 60% to 65% of the category and gained room as low-fat products lost share after 2023. (ers.usda.gov) (nass.usda.gov) For now, the headline from 2024 is that the biggest dairy staples did not crack. The pressure from GLP-1 drugs is showing up in shopper research and product reformulation, but the federal consumption data still show Americans reaching for butter, cheese and ice cream. (dairyreporter.com) (ers.usda.gov)