There’s an art and science to developing successful new foods—be it snacks, cocktails, QSR LTOs, or gourmet farm-to-table experiences. It’s not always about tapping the latest trend ingredient and sprinkling it into your flagship item. There’s a reason why macaroni and cheese, chocolate, and ice cream have staying power. It’s because at one point or another, we crave them.
At Prepared Foods’ recent New Products Conference (NPC) in Chicago, SRG shared new research that explores why people crave what they do. It’s called, “Craveology.” Built with psychologists, neurologists, anthropologists, and consumers across three continents, this model shows that cravings are so much more than sugar, salt, and fat. By stepping back and first looking at the emotional side of cravings, we unlocked the anatomy (and the “why”) of the food experiences consumers crave most.