Mintel Predicts Five Food & Beverage Trends That Will Shape 2018
CHICAGO — Leading market intelligence agency Mintel has announced five key trends set to impact the global food and drink market over the coming year.
According to Global Food & Drink Trends 2018, transparency and traceability will play a major role, and there will be plenty of opportunities for natural, tantalizing and unexpected textures from chewy beverages to cookies with popping candy inside.
Meanwhile, the rapid expansion in the variety of food and drink retail channels will fuel the opportunity for recommendations, promotions and product innovations that are personalized based on individual consumer behavior, the report found.
Looking ahead to 2018, Mintel Global Food and Drink Analyst Jenny Zegler discusses the major trends predicted to play out in food and drink markets around the world, beginning with the trends that will gain wider traction in the months ahead to emerging trends that are influential, but just on the fringe in many regions.
2018 global food and drink trends include:
Full Disclosure
Consumers' need for reassurance about the safety and trustworthiness of food and drink has led to increased use of natural, ethical and environmental claims in global food and drink launches. In addition to more specific product details, the next wave of clean label will challenge manufacturers and retailers to democratize transparency and traceability so that products are accessible to all consumers regardless of household income.
Self-Fulfilling Practices
Many consumers who feel overwhelmed are focusing on "self-care," or prioritizing time and efforts dedicated to themselves. Looking toward 2018, individual definitions of self-care and balance will reinforce the need for a variety of formats, formulations and portion sizes of food and drink that present consumers with positive solutions — and treats —that can be incorporated into their customized and flexible definitions of health and wellness.
Going forward, more consumers will be looking for ingredients, products and combinations of food and drink that provide nutrition, physical or emotional benefits that advance their priorities for self-care, according to Zegler.
New Sensations
In 2018, texture will become more important for food and drink companies and consumers. The report finds that texture is the next facet of formulation that can be leveraged to provide consumers with interactive and documentation-worthy experiences.
The quest for experiences will provide opportunities for multisensory food and drink that uses unexpected texture to provide consumers, especially teens and young adults of the iGeneration, with tangible connections to the real world, as well as moments worth sharing either in-person or online.
Preferential Treatment
As technology helps to make shopping as effortless as possible, an era of targeted promotions and products is emerging. Motivated by the potential to save time and ideally money, consumers are sampling a variety of channels and technologies when shopping for food and drink, including home delivery, subscription services and automatic replenishment.
Companies and retailers can leverage technology to establish new levels of efficiency, such as customized recommendations, cross-category pairings and resourceful solutions that save consumers time, effort and energy. Opportunities exist for companies to tempt consumers by creating products, suggesting combinations of goods and other options across consumer categories that make shopping more efficient and affordable for customers, according to the report.
Science Fare
In 2018, technology will begin to disrupt the traditional food chain as enterprising manufacturers aim to replace farms and factories with laboratories. While lab-, cultured- or synthetic food and drink is only just emerging, technology could eventually be used to design food and drink that is inherently more nutritious, which could extend the consumer audience for scientifically engineered food and drink beyond environmentally conscious shoppers to reach consumers who are concerned about ingredient consistency, efficacy and purity.
"In 2018, Mintel foresees opportunities for manufacturers and retailers to help consumers regain trust in food and drink and to relieve stress through balanced diets as well as memorable eating and drinking experiences. There also is an exciting new chapter dawning in which technology will help brands and retailers forge more personalized connections with shoppers, while enterprising companies are using scientific engineering to create an exciting new generation of sustainable food and drink," commented Zegler.
Mintel's Global Food & Drink Trends 2018 is available here.