Consumers spent most of last year attempting to keep healthy, and this desire manifested itself in their food choices. According to studies, the pandemic piqued people’s interest in immune-boosting foods, and experts anticipate that trend will continue in the coming years.
Immunity-boosting chemicals have already witnessed an increase in sales, and more companies are adding them to their product lines.
The Need For Innovation
A recent study shows that 94% of food and beverage companies invest in research and development to attract new customers and maintain a competitive advantage over other brands and companies.
According to research, consumer demand for new food and beverage products is the critical driver of food and beverage innovation. The healthy foods movement, for example, has driven corporations to create gluten-free, organic, preservative-free, and other items in recent years. While some product lines are being developed, others are being phased out. Companies that want to flourish in the food and beverage industry must listen to their customers and keep innovating. The desired reforms are product innovation, clean labelling, variety, sustainability, and sourcing.
Evidence shows that consumers are not interested much in upgrading existing products, and instead, they prefer newly developed products that are specific to their needs and preferences. Most customers also want harmful and undesirable components present in the food products to be removed.
Foods with immune-boosting promises, including everything from cookies and chocolates to CBD-infused items, ranked high among the new products launched during the pandemic. In the beverage business, fermented goods display innovation, and foods with high protein components, such as whey protein, are included in the foods demonstrated to improve immunological characteristics.
Consumers take more time and give attention while in groceries than in restaurants. Therefore other food and beverage development focused mainly on the “make-at-home” trend. Home delivery services and subscription meal packages will remain prominent in 2022, reversing earlier market patterns that were worrying in the run-up to the pandemic.
Sustainability And Waste Reduction
Reduced waste is a significant initiative that is being fueled by consumer demand. It becomes a massive problem for formulators and R&D departments to check all the boxes when there is a desire for preservative-free meals and natural components. Shelf life is a top consideration for products held in a manufacturing facility’s warehouse and items on grocery store shelves and restaurants.
Waste reduction is crucial not only from an ethical aspect but also from a financial standpoint. It can be a win-win situation for everyone if producers can meet consumer demand for less waste while still using natural ingredients.
Consumers are looking for products that support sustainability activities and have low environmental implications, similar to shopping for products that reduce trash. However, some plant-based diets aren’t as sustainable as their promises suggest and scrutinize more closely.
The rise in almond milk consumption is just one example. Almond grove agricultural practises generally require excessive water in already drought-stricken areas. Increased harvests are also proving to be devastating harm to honey bee populations, much to the chagrin of consumers. Manufacturers may weather changing consumer tastes by using ingredients that combine sustainability, waste reduction, clean labels, and transparency.
Companies are implementing restaurant digitization, digital food management, and food robotics to improve operations. Digitization has become a vital element of the food & beverage business. Furthermore, food companies focus on reducing food waste and embracing zero-waste methods.
