11 Trend Topics Across 11 Halls

After four-year continuous growth since 2016, the free-from claim has shown a bottleneck in terms of new product launches. In 2020, 25% of new food & beverages are tracked with free from claims, remaining the same percentage level as in 2019. According to Innova’s Top Ten Trends 2021, it is related to Trend 3 “Tailored to Fit”, where personalised nutrition is in the spotlight as consumers look for food and beverages that fit their unique lifestyles and individual diets, such as gluten free, lactose free and vegan life.

Healthier, safer and tastier food made with honest ingredients shapes consumer demands today, and manufacturers are offering products which contain no use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the raw materials nor the finished product. 6% of new food & beverage launches are tracked with a GMO free claim (Global, 2020), especially seen in ingredients like soy, heme, which are closely linked to plant-based products.

Consumed by busy lifestyles, people are seeking more ready-to-eat products. As a compensation, more and more quick and convenient meals and snacks also include health and nutritious benefits for consumers who try to have a balanced diet. For example, 34% and 15%, respectively, of new food & beverages tracked with a “on-the-go” claim are high in protein and high in fiber (Global, 2020).

Superfoods are nutritionally dense foods which bring holistic health benefits. They are no longer reserved to a niche group of people that want to eat something nutrition-packed, but more consumers are introducing superfoods to their daily nutrition. Due to Covid-19 situation, superfoods are much leveraged as they tap into health support. In line with Innova Top Ten Trends 2021, Trend 5 “In Tune with Immune” has witnessed a surge in citrus flavors, and ginger and turmeric for immune boost.

Franchising in food & beverage industry focus on leveraging the established customer base, manufacturing facilities, marketing expertise, R&D and distribution capabilities of the other company in specific categories and regions, at the same time, franchised products and food services play an essential role in building and strengthening brand recognition. Every 1 in 2 global consumers say that they put more trust into a new brand if it collaborates with one that they already know. On the other hand, franchise requires swift reaction to local consumer demands and rapid employee training, to make sure that challenges turn to opportunities for the brand collaboration.

Except Australasia region, all other regions have recorded a growing trend of halal product launches in the past five years. In particular, Latin America, growing from a small base, has lead new product launches with a 24% annual growth since 2016 (Latin America, CAGR 2016-2020), followed by Asia (15%) as the biggest market with the highest launch numbers in every past five year. Meanwhile, the second and third biggest market Africa and Middle East also spot a modest growth with a 11% and 14%, respectively, annual growth (CAGR 2016-2020).

The launch activity for food & beverage products that meet kosher standards is declining, featuring a -11% year-over-year decrease when comparing 2019 and 2020 launches. These foods conform to Jewish dietary law, and have seen the biggest product launch presence in North America, over half of new launches worldwide are tracked in this region in 2020, and the main categories in North America with kosher claims are bakery, sauces & seasonings and snacks.

In line with Innova’s Top Ten Trends 2021, Trend 1 “Transparency Triumph” pushes greater demand on transparency and evolving clean labels, Innova Market Insights reports a 5% annual growth rate in organic claims on food & beverages launches (Global, CAGR 2016-2020). 1 in 5 global organic products tracked are also featured with no additives/preservatives.

There is a significantly growing popularity of new product development by private labels, with a 10% annual growth in private-labeled product launches (Global, CAGR 2016-2020). Yet, private-label product launch penetration varies in different regions and throughout the past five years. Europe so far leads private-label launches with a 35% penetration rate, offering from mass products to recently premium ones, such as private-label chocolate confectionery and emerging sports nutrition. On the contrary, Africa, Australasia and North America have taken on a decreasing private-label launch penetration rate in the past five years.

Since 2016, there is a continuous rising trend of new product development on a vegan platform, with a 21% annual growth rate in product launches tracked with a vegan claim (Global, CAGR 2016-2020), according to Innova Market Insights. The leading market sub-categories in 2020 for vegan claims on a global basis are meat substitutes (4.8%), dairy alternative drinks (3.9%), and sports powder (3.8%), especially the last one has recorded a 38% annual growth rate in product launches tracked with a vegan claim (Global, CAGR 2016-2020).

Vegetarian claims have greatly moved way for plant-based products in terms of food & beverage launch penetration from 2016 (25%) to 2020 (9%). Meanwhile top two regions, Asia and Europe, also show a different inclusion attitudes in different segments toward vegetarian claims. Top subcategories with vegetarian claims in Asia are sauces & seasoning, snacks and bakery in 2020, while in Europe top three are bakery, dairy and ready meals & side dishes.