Natural Food Trends Altering Consumer Habits
When over 60,000 people flock to Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim next month, they will, in part, be looking for the next big thing. If that’s the case, they’ll be in luck. New Hope Natural Media, who put on these Natural Product Expos, have done some of the homework. Together with NEXT Trend, an out fit that provides business intelligence for the natural products industry, they’ve identified what they figure will be 2015’s biggest trends.
1. Protein power: Protein is the star again -- with food, beverage and supplement products featuring new, innovative protein sources and higher levels of protein per serving. From pea protein to cricket protein to products containing a mixture of both plant and animal protein, these ingredients are hot.
2. Paleo on parade: The paleo trend continues to gain momentum, with the emergence of a new paleo certifications, and more packaged foods made with simple, whole food ingredients that follow the paleo doctrine of no grains, processed sugars, dairy or legumes.
3. Mission matters: More and more natural products companies are starting with a philanthropic mission and building a suite of natural, organic and healthy products to support and grow that mission and create a positive social impact.
4. Heritage to hipster: “Old school,” traditional ingredients long known for their nutritional benefits such as apple cider vinegar and turmeric are popping up in new ways in foods, beverages and even dietary supplements.
5. Coconut reimagined: Coconut has been a hot ingredient for several years now, but now we are seeing the debut of new healthy packaged products featuring coconut in imaginative, new ways that provide the health benefits of coconut—often in place of less-healthy ingredients.
6. Probiotics pop: Probiotics also continue to be hot, showing up in new supplement formulations, cosmetics, greens powders, snacks and even fresh-pressed juice.
7. Clean, simple ingredients rule: Innovation is showing up as simplification, as the ingredient lists for products continue to get shorter and cleaner. There are many new food and beverage offerings that include only high-quality, whole food ingredients. The move to cleaner, food-based ingredients could also be seen in supplements and personal care.
8. Vegan on the down low: The number of vegan foods and beverages is once again on the rise, but this year many vegan brands choose to emphasize the quality ingredients, delicious taste or mission of their products more so than their vegan positioning. The end result is a much more accessible offering for mainstream audiences.
9. Back to the source: “Local” is for more than just the farmers market, with a growing number of exhibitors touting the sourcing stories behind their products. From ketchup made with only New Jersey grown tomatoes to an entire supplement line featuring only ingredients grown in Nepal, the farm-tofield movement is taking on more local flavor.
10. Water 3.0 : The success of coconut water -- which is now almost a $1 billion beverage category since its emergence on the scene in 2006 -- has everyone on the hunt for the next healthy billion dollar beverage concept. Emerging are numerous product concepts that are based on healthy, natural, lowcalorie waters taken directly from plants. Examples include maple water, birch water, almond water, artichoke water, cactus water, olive water and watermelon water. Innovations in extraction processes and packaging are creating new opportunities for these types of plant water products. The fact that these offerings also tend to be minimally processed and made with only a few ingredients also position them well for the growing number of “Wholegrarian” consumers who seek out nutrient-dense foods and beverages made with real food ingredients.
1. Protein power: Protein is the star again -- with food, beverage and supplement products featuring new, innovative protein sources and higher levels of protein per serving. From pea protein to cricket protein to products containing a mixture of both plant and animal protein, these ingredients are hot.2. Paleo on parade: The paleo trend continues to gain momentum, with the emergence of a new paleo certifications, and more packaged foods made with simple, whole food ingredients that follow the paleo doctrine of no grains, processed sugars, dairy or legumes.
3. Mission matters: More and more natural products companies are starting with a philanthropic mission and building a suite of natural, organic and healthy products to support and grow that mission and create a positive social impact.
4. Heritage to hipster: “Old school,” traditional ingredients long known for their nutritional benefits such as apple cider vinegar and turmeric are popping up in new ways in foods, beverages and even dietary supplements.
5. Coconut reimagined: Coconut has been a hot ingredient for several years now, but now we are seeing the debut of new healthy packaged products featuring coconut in imaginative, new ways that provide the health benefits of coconut—often in place of less-healthy ingredients.
6. Probiotics pop: Probiotics also continue to be hot, showing up in new supplement formulations, cosmetics, greens powders, snacks and even fresh-pressed juice.
7. Clean, simple ingredients rule: Innovation is showing up as simplification, as the ingredient lists for products continue to get shorter and cleaner. There are many new food and beverage offerings that include only high-quality, whole food ingredients. The move to cleaner, food-based ingredients could also be seen in supplements and personal care.
8. Vegan on the down low: The number of vegan foods and beverages is once again on the rise, but this year many vegan brands choose to emphasize the quality ingredients, delicious taste or mission of their products more so than their vegan positioning. The end result is a much more accessible offering for mainstream audiences.
9. Back to the source: “Local” is for more than just the farmers market, with a growing number of exhibitors touting the sourcing stories behind their products. From ketchup made with only New Jersey grown tomatoes to an entire supplement line featuring only ingredients grown in Nepal, the farm-tofield movement is taking on more local flavor.
10. Water 3.0 : The success of coconut water -- which is now almost a $1 billion beverage category since its emergence on the scene in 2006 -- has everyone on the hunt for the next healthy billion dollar beverage concept. Emerging are numerous product concepts that are based on healthy, natural, lowcalorie waters taken directly from plants. Examples include maple water, birch water, almond water, artichoke water, cactus water, olive water and watermelon water. Innovations in extraction processes and packaging are creating new opportunities for these types of plant water products. The fact that these offerings also tend to be minimally processed and made with only a few ingredients also position them well for the growing number of “Wholegrarian” consumers who seek out nutrient-dense foods and beverages made with real food ingredients.
posted by Linda L. Richards at 6:08 PM
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