With the new decade just weeks away, research firm Mintel has published what it believes will be the key trends to shape the food and drink industry at its close, in its Global Food and Drink Trends 2030 report.
As the research states, many of the trends that permeate the industry today will still have relevance to the consumer of 2030 – plant-based diets and methods to combat food waste will become part of the mainstream, as consumers collectively seek more sustainable consumption and innovation.
Similarly, the healthy-eating trend will take on new meaning, with a wide variety of health-testing services, artificial intelligence-enabled apps and increased data collection influencing how consumers make food choices, and plan for long-term cognitive health.
At the same time, technology will be increasingly used to develop new products, shorten production time, and confirm trustworthiness in food and beverage products.
Mintel has derived three macro trends that it believes will shape the global food, drink, and foodservice industries ten years from now.
Change, Incorporated
Ten years from now, it notes, successful companies will be those that improve the health of the planet and its population. This is encapsulated in the Change, Incorporated trend.
“In the next decade, consumers will be hungry for leadership and demonstrable change on environmental issues, ethical business practices, public health, and other important causes," comments Alex Beckett, associate director, Mintel Food & Drink.
"Consumers will reward brands that take action and improve important societal issues. The companies that will win in the next ten years will be those that fuel the new era of conscious consumption. Tomorrow's conscious consumers will be looking for eco-friendly packaging and products, while also seeking guidance on how to make their diets more sustainable.”
Smart Diets
Over the course of the next decade, technology will enable consumers to construct hyper-individualised approaches to physical and mental health, encapsulated in the Smart Diets trend.
“Looking ahead, more consumers will be able to gain in-depth knowledge of their biology through personal health testing kits which will empower them to personalise their diet and health regimes," says Beckett.
"Analysis of these tools will inform consumers of the steps they need to take to address every aspect of their health, including brain and emotional wellbeing. As a result, in order to succeed over the next decade, brands will need to offer more personalised product offerings, develop smart home solutions, and assist consumers in addressing mood and brain health.”
High-Tech Harvests
The final trend, High-Tech Harvests, examines how consumer trust in food science and technology will strengthen as these become vital tools to save the food supply.
“Science will interlace with the food supply chain to boost yields and combat climate change," says Beckett. "Celebrating the sustainable, health, and cost benefits of lab-grown food will be crucial in educating consumers about nature-identical alternatives. But the food and drink industry will be compelled to elevate the role of nature, and humans, in the storytelling of these new, modern solutions."
Beckett adds that transparency of information is "essential to building trust in a future where scientists play as integral a role as farmers. And championing the people behind the food—whether it is grown in a laboratory or a field—will remain a timeless way of building trust with consumers".
The full report can be downloaded here.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
