Trend Tracker: F&B trends from Tetra Pak, protein in India, indulgence in China and more feature in our round-up
Trendipedia 2019: Tetra Pak weighs in on the top seven food and beverage trends driving the industry
Tetra Pak has identified seven food and beverage trends surrounding the areas of hygiene, digitalisation and individual experience that have been and continue to be major drivers of the industry this year.
According to Tetra Pak Asia Pacific Cluster Marketing Services Director Ratanasiri Tilokskulchai (Taan), these trends were identified by the company’s global insights and analytics team via a variety of methods including social listening, surveys, comparisons, information-gathering and more.
“We only named this initiative Trendopedia a few years back, but such [trendspotting] by Tetra Pak has been ongoing for a long time,” Taan told FoodNavigator-Asia.
Protein potential: Indian F&B manufacturers urged to capitalise on prospects in high-protein product category
Food and beverage firms in India have been advised to focus on high-protein product innovation, as over 25% of all Indian consumers feel that there is a lack of such items in the country, according to a new report.
According to the Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD), only 5% of food and drink products that were launched in the country across the past two years (2016 to 2018) had high or added protein claims - Of these, 84% were food products and just 16% were drinks.
"Currently, high or added protein claims exist in very niche categories like cereal bars and meal replacement drinks, which tend to have smaller audiences in India,” said Mintel India Food & Drink Analyst Natasha Kumar.
The report also found that over one in four (27%) of all Indian consumers ‘strongly agree’ as to the lack of enough high-protein packaged food and drink products in the market.
No compromise on taste: ‘Conscious indulgence’ trend observed in Chinese consumers
‘Conscious indulgence’, a trend that shows consumers actively reading food and drinks’ labels is widespread in China.
This is according to FrieslandCampina Ingredients first 2019-2020 report on the global trends in the F&B industry.
Speaking to FoodNavigator-Asia, Anneke van de Geijn, the global marketing director Food & Beverages at FrieslandCampina Ingredients said consumers were becoming increasingly aware of what is inside their food and drinks.
She said this had to do with the readily available information on devices and apps.
‘Smart Eating’: Reformulation, modernisation and personalisation identified as key areas for innovation in Thai food industry
Product reformulation, modernisation and personalisation have been identified as key areas for innovation within the food and beverage industry in Thailand, with a strong emphasis on increasing focus on the elderly population as well as technological advances.
Speaking at the Trends and Innovation Conference held as part of the Food Ingredients (Fi) Asia Thailand show in Bangkok, Food Science and Technology Association of Thailand (FoSTAT) President Asst. Professor Dr Anadi Nitithamyong said that the local food industry was changing at a rapid pace.
“As urbanisation increases, the role of processed foods in the market is also increasing, and people are becoming more reliant on these, especially in big cities like Bangkok,” she told the floor.
‘Gargantuan’ potential: Alibaba’s research arm on China’s three massive food and beverage e-commerce opportunities
China’s massive e-commerce market potential due to its ‘opening-up’ policies, gargantuan market and rapid digital transformation are opportunities that all global F&B firms should make the most of, according to an industry expert.
Hailing from the Alibaba market research arm, Alibaba Research Institute Executive Senior Expert and Ali Cross-border E-commerce Research Centre Director Ouyang Cheng said that China’s ‘three great opportunities for the world’ were not to be missed.
“China is now opening up its trade with Shanghai as the trade centre, not to mention its gargantuan market due to the large population and the ongoing digital transformation and advancements in the country,” he said at the Nutraceutical Industry Development Conference held in conjunction with the Fi Asia China 2019 show in Shanghai.
“[According to research], China is set to overtake the United States as the largest overall consumer market worldwide, which is a great opportunity for all foreign companies, [including those in the food and beverage industry]."
