Page 16 - Food & Drink Magazine Jan-Feb 21

TRENDS FORECAST 2021
2021: the year2ahead
Meaningful stories, plant-based everything and foods to improve your mood are just some of the trends to watch in 2021 according to Innova Market Insights’ annual Top 10 Trends report. Kim Berry takes a look at what’s hot.
PLANT-FORWARD
The growing mainstream appeal for plant-based products is driving expansion into more market categories and regions. Williams says: “In my 25 years of experience I have never seen anything move faster or grow so big so quickly. This will be such an interesting year to see what happens as plant-based moves mainstream and into more indulgent categories.”
Its increasing popularity will drive expansion including accelerated demand for new formats, plant proteins and more sophisticated alternatives.
Innova has tracked the plant-based trend, from emerging in 2019 to a revolution in 2020 with consumers considering plant-based alternatives for health, diet variety, sustainability and taste.
Then there are cell-based technologies. Williams says: “Questions are, will they fit into the plant-based market, or maybe take the place of some of them, or become bigger than some of the plant options. Again, in terms of diversification, we’re seeing lots of developments in fish alternatives and snacking and
butter. There are different regional drivers and consumer aspects, but it is a phenomenal trend and we don’t see it slowing down anytime soon.”
BELOW: Proform Foods has been a pioneer in technology for plant-based protein production at scale. It recently launched its consumer brand Meet.
TRANSPARENCY even the repositioning of margarine as plant-based
TRIUMPHS
Brands are increasing their
transparency to meet evolving
consumer demands, building on
2020’s top trend of storytelling.
Consumer interest in learning more
about what products are made of
and how they are made is becoming TAILORED TO FIT
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more sophisticated. Ethical, environmental and clean label expectations are also on the rise.
Innova Market Insights co- founder, director and trends expert Lu Ann Williams said: “Brands have to up their game when it comes to brand visibility. It is about trust and engagement. A meaningful story allows you to connect with consumers in a new and
different way.”
Brands that adopt and pair new packaging technologies such as invisible barcodes and near-fi ld communication with creative and meaningful storytelling will forge a successful strategy.
ABOVE: Winerytale is a plug-and-play system for winemakers to tell their story using augmented reality, and for consumers to share their experiences.
Personalised nutrition is in the spotlight as consumers look for food and beverages that fit their lifestyles. People will continue to expect a tailored approach to how and what they eat, with technological breakthroughs, constant new launches and sensorial experiences providing solutions to create customisable lifestyles.
Williams says 64 per cent of consumers have
found more ways to tailor their life and the products they buy to their individual style, beliefs and needs.
“Gluten-free was the first trend where consumers got the idea of the way I eat can make me feel different to the way other people eat. So just like entertainment and clothes can be tailored, food is the same. We’ve been talking about personalised nutrition for around 15 years and now we really see things taking off,” she says.
When asked how they would like their nutritional experience personalised, consumers’ top three responses were: based on my nutritional needs; based on my lifestyle and ethics; based on my body composition.
Williams said the annual CAGR 2016-2020 growth globally in food and beverage launches which made specific claims saw
keto grow 165 per cent, and plant-based up 36 per cent from a small base.
LEFT: Functional meal company My Muscle Chef offers more than 80 dishes that cater to low calorie, low carb, keto and vegan needs.
16 | Food&Drink business | January/February 2021
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