Global Food & Beverage Innovation Trends Insights 2020-2023: Food & Beverage Consumer Insights

With the improvement of life quality and the change of consumption concept, people's demand for food and beverage is more and more diversified and personalized. Environmental protection, health, wellness, pleasure and convenience become the main concerns of the food and beverage industry. This report analyzes the innovation trends in the global food and beverage industry from three dimensions: consumer demand, product innovation and food and beverage industry development trends. These trends not only reflect the direction of the market, but also reveal consumers' new expectations for food and beverage.

On a global scale, some forward-looking enterprises have begun to actively deploy to meet the growing needs of consumers through technological innovation and product upgrades. For example, the use of biotechnology to produce plant-based dairy products, the use of digital technology to improve the efficiency and quality of production, through green packaging to reduce environmental impact. These innovations have not only brought good market returns for the company, but also set a good example for the entire industry.

Overall, the innovation trend in the global food and beverage industry is moving towards greater health, environmental protection and personalization. The next few years will be a critical period for the development of industry innovation. We suggest that enterprises strengthen technology research and development and market research to adapt to the changing market environment and lead the development trend of the industry. At the same time, policy makers should also pay attention to the demand and development direction of the market, formulate policies and regulations that are more in line with the development of the industry, and provide a strong guarantee for the healthy development of the industry.

Food and drink consumer insights

I eat, therefore I am

When choosing food, consumers will not only consider meeting basic needs, but also consider enjoyment, health, sharing, social and other factors. Today, we face a more complex challenge is the dual questioning of the food production process and the source of raw materials.

In three studies conducted worldwide, SIAL found that the health crisis has not changed everything, but rather, in a context of global uncertainty, consumers continue to believe that food has an important impact on the survival of all people, even other species.

The survey shows that the pandemic has not completely changed people's eating habits, and in the context of global uncertainty, consumers still believe that food choices have a direct impact on the Earth's environment. 63% of consumers believe that choosing food is as important as choosing a place to live as part of their desired good life. Nearly a third have radically changed the way they behave.

Second, the new "good habits" will persist

According to the report:

1.71% of consumers have changed their eating behavior in the last two years, and the majority (67%) tend to choose healthier foods.

2. The market share of innovative health foods is stabilizing, with a slight decline (nearly a third of innovative products decreased by 0.8%).

3. In addition to health considerations, changes in eating behavior are also influenced by where food is supplied (48%), concerns about nutrition (37%) and environmental protection (36%).

4. Consumers are increasingly concerned about health, nutrition and environmental factors. It is noteworthy that countries or regions in Asia and the Middle East, which previously paid little attention to health, environmental protection and origin, are now paying more attention to health, environmental protection and local food.

5. In Europe, socially responsible products tend to be stable, and consumer awareness is very mature. Over the past five years (from 2.5% to 7.9%), the global market share of socially and ecologically responsible innovative products has increased significantly (10%).

3. Pleasure returns to primacy

(Pleasure, Health and Social responsibility in global food innovation by 2021)

In various dining consumption scenarios, the primary purpose of eating is to obtain pleasure.

One out of every two innovative products in the world is related to pleasure (especially in North America). At restaurants, we've seen an explosion in orders for pleasurable cocktails, whether they contain alcohol or not. Today, that trend is unlikely to change.

Some 71 percent of people around the world believe pleasure is the primary motivator for eating, and nearly half say they have developed a taste for "comfort foods" (which may contain too much fat, salt or sugar) during the pandemic.

The relationship between health, pleasure, environment and social responsibility

Over the past two years of continuous observation, the trend has been confirmed: eating for pleasure must balance health and social responsibility, which is very important now and in the future.

Given these multiple factors, it will become increasingly unacceptable to sacrifice geopolitics, health, and the climate over price.

The price/performance ratio gradually evolved into more complex forms, namely profit, price or "value for money". The shift in consumer awareness can be seen in the current market share of organic food. The challenge now is for consumers to demand clearer products that meet their expectations.