Clean labels are dominating the food and beverage industries, as they cater to increasing consumer demand for healthier alternatives.
Innova Market Insights reveals consumer trends for alternative and unusual flavour hybrids, with an emphasis on diverse flavours inspired by foreign cuisine.
Kefir launches grew more than threefold between 2011 and 2016, according to data from Innova Market Insights.
Innova Market Insights has revealed its predictions for the top trends likely to impact the food industry in 2017.
A 60% rise in global food and beverage launches using a vegetarian claim between 2011 and 2015 highlights the market opportunities available in the meat substitute market, according to Innova Market Insights.
The announcement of the UK's 'sugar tax' has further sparked interest in reduced-sugar and diet drinks, a segment already on the rise thanks to increased focus on obesity and sugar intake. But is this translating into actual product launches?
Development in the dairy-alternative drinks segment has been driven by increasing penetration outside the traditional Asian market and the rise in plant-based milks such as almond, rice, coconut and oat.
The food and beverage industry is capitalising on the soaring consumer interest in protein content, with the trend particularly evident in the dairy segment.
Tightening legislation around nutritional claims has set back product activity in the digestive health segment, but despite these difficulties, digestive health claims continue to grow. In 2014, more than 3.2% of products launched carried digestive health claims, up from 2.7% in 2009.
Despite the existence of certain products swimming in sugar and artificial flavours, breakfast cereals have managed to maintain a fairly healthy image - and this looks set to continue. Three quarters of all breakfast cereals launched in 2014 included a health positioning of some kind.
Consumer tendency to eat on the go, plus a growing demand for individual treats, has seen a global increase in handheld ice-cream sales. Single-serve product launches have increased significantly, with a 22% rise recorded over the five years to October 2014.
Nuts and seeds accounted for more than 37% of snack food launches in 2013, with savoury or salty snacks taking the remainder, new data from Innova Market Insights shows. However, the popularity of nuts varies markedly from country to country.
New product launches of dairy products featuring omega-3 claims have risen in the last five years; however, the share of total dairy launches with omega-3 claims has fallen from 2.4% in 2008 to 1.5% in 2013, new research from Innova Market Insights shows.
Launches of quinoa-containing products rose nearly 50% in the 12 months to September 2013, Innova Market Insights has reported, and have risen more than fivefold over a five-year period.
Despite health not usually being a key driver in confectionery purchase and consumption, increasing consumer interest in naturalness is having an effect on the confectionery sector, says Innova Market Insights.
Innova Market Insights has reported that global launch numbers for lactose-free dairy products more than tripled in the five years leading to 2012.
Rising demand for protein has prompted a flurry of activity in the protein alternative sector, according to Innova Market Insights.
