Trend Report 2022
PERSONAL HEALTH
Our understanding of “health” has evolved: it’s no longer limited to avoiding illnesses – the goal is for our body and mind to function well. Consumers have embraced the pursuit of mindfulness and well-being as part of their health journey. They strive to maintain good physical and mental performance with help of nutrition, exercise, functional supplements and wellness rituals.
Weight Management
Weight management is one of the most popular topics in preventive healthcare and well-balanced lifestyle. Concern for sugar, salt, simple carbohydrates and processed fat remain evident for consumers as well as manufacturers. The popularity of Keto-inspired diets and the plant-based lifestyle has influenced product innovation across the categories. Consumers are shifting their habits and demand flavourful alternatives for conventional products. Alcohol-free drinks also get more attention from weight management perspective: consumers are increasingly aware of the effects of alcohol on their waistlines.
Health Boosters
Functional nutrition is no longer for niche sport products. Claims for improved immunity and digestion continue to receive most attention from consumers and manufacturers: the pandemic has obviously motivated consumers to look for immunity boosters, while good digestion is linked to many health benefits, including mental and emotional. Another growing functional trend is “beauty from within” with focus on ingredients that have positive effect on skin and hair. The driver is once again the holistic approach where beauty is connected to overall health. Beauty and anti-ageing ingredients like collagen, biotin, zinc and others are some of the fastest-growing functional ingredients in proteins bars, flavoured waters and snacks.
Low & No
‘Low and no’ alcohol drinks are in trend and in the mainstream. Most brands of alcoholic drinks have launched a range of non-alcoholic products and expect them to represent a significant part of their sales. Factors like the sober-curious movement and popular challenges like Dry January show that consumers are seriously interested in drinking less. Health and weight awareness is also pushing them towards giving ‘no and low’ alcoholic beverages a chance. Quality and taste of non-alcoholic beverages has improved significantly as producers compete to deliver the best product possible. There is still a lot of opportunities in the segment, for example food pairing. Alcoholic drinks are often enjoyed with meals, which presents a great opportunity to create complimentary food pairings with non-alcoholic beverages.
Clean living
Consumers are sceptical of artificial and unrecognisable ingredients and aspire to eat more of fresh, clean and less processed foods. Excessive consumption of ingredients like fat, salt and sugar has been a health concern on a global level for years. “Clean label” is a widely accepted term that refers to products with fewer ingredients that are as close to natural as possible. The demand for clean label products continues to grow, especially in segments that has traditionally been known for over-processing – snacks, confectionary, energy drinks and ready meals. The food and beverage industry is working hard to reduce sugar, salt and fat while retaining full flavour and rich mouthfeel. In line with the holistic approach, clean living is path to health, vitality and a long, active life.
Mental health
Another part of holistic well-being that benefits from indulgence trends is mental health. Allowing small pleasures is a part of self-care that makes us healthier in a long run. There are deep phycological benefits to creating affordable, guilt-free and flavourful rituals. Consumers look for good balance between health, convenience, and enjoyment. Relentless focus on diets and exercise often leads to a burnout, thus it is more sustainable to practice kindness, moderation and avoid extreme dieting.
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At Einar Willumsen we consider our customers consumers and what we want the taste reaction to be. Our expertise is to combine science and our understanding of the market place to deliver the optimum results in our products.