FrieslandCampina Ingredients released a new report revealing five trends and developments set to drive the evolution of the food, drinks and supplement industries in 2022. The report, “Shaping the future of nutrition,” offers expert insight into the latest market and consumer research to help brands pinpoint areas for innovation and NPD in the active, performance and medical nutrition markets.

Against the backdrop of COVID-19, anxieties around health and well-being have never been greater. Yet research suggests that consumers are tackling this in new and unexpected ways – including recognizing a link between personal and environmental health.   The five trends shaping consumer behaviors and buying habits include:

1.            Planet-first nutrition – Sixty-five percent of consumers believe food and nutrition brands should do more to protect the planet.  As consumers become more ethically and environmentally conscious, building brand trust is crucial. Transparency is non-negotiable when it comes to creating this trust, but brands will also need to make claims meaningful and tangible to stand out to consumers.

2.            Resilience in an ever-challenging world – The pandemic created a rare, unifying experience for people all over the world and if one word sums up how people are feeling, it’s stressed. In 2022 people will want to recover and protect their futures by building more resilience. And this resilience will be an issue of body and mind. Sixty percent of consumers say improving their general health and wellness is their main priority, with sleep, mood and physical fitness being top of the agenda.ii

3.            The future is flexitarian – In an effort to be healthier, consumers are increasingly incorporating plant-based ingredients into their diets alongside traditional protein sources.i In fact, over one quarter of consumers consider themselves flexitarians.ii Green protein is seen as clean protein,i but with consumers not wanting to miss out on the taste, texture and nutritional value of animal products,i combining multiple plant and dairy protein sources ticks every box.

4.            Holistic health starts in the gut – Balance is trending, and for many consumers, holistic well-being is the ultimate goal in 2022. Globally, two in three consumers recognize that gut health is key to achieving overall well-being.i With tech-savvy consumers staying up to date with the latest research, and science furthering our understanding of the gut’s all-important role, FrieslandCampina Ingredients predicts a growth opportunity for food, drinks and supplement products that target trending health areas, like immunity or sleep, by including gut-boosting ingredients such as prebiotics.

5.            Celebrating healthy aging – As our global population continues to get older, consumers are rethinking what it means to age well. Consumers of all ages are proactively re-evaluating their health and diets, looking for healthy ageing benefits from everyday foods. With 90% of ageing consumers choosing food and drink over traditional supplements,ii there is a clear demand for new and innovative products supporting healthy ageing, aimed at a range of consumers across age brackets.

“Brands are feeling the pressure to keep up with to date with ever-evolving demands, as consumer behaviors continue to shift and be shaped by external forces,” says Vicky Davies, global marketing director, Performance, Active and Medical Nutrition. “COVID-19 has put health and wellness concerns front of mind, both for the individual and for the collective global population. At the same time, the pandemic has sharpened focus on sustainability and how environmental health influences our current and future well-being.”

Davies concludes, “It is crucial for brands to embrace and steer these trends. At FrieslandCampina Ingredients, we are always exploring how to help our customers get the most out of their ingredients by empowering them to tackle pressing global issues. In our latest report, we’re shedding light on these trends so brands can help shape the future of a more sustainable, focused food, drinks and supplement industries.”

Access the Complete Report.

About FrieslandCampina Ingredients
FrieslandCampina Ingredients is powered by 2,400 passionate specialists who are focused on adding goodness to the foods, drinks and businesses that nourish the world, now and for generations to come. With its specialised, international market segments Early Life Nutrition, Active Nutrition, Performance Nutrition, Medical Nutrition and Pharma FrieslandCampina Ingredients is leading in the food sector as an innovation partner in healthy and functional ingredients and solutions. FrieslandCampina Ingredients operates globally with regional sales offices in the Netherlands, the United States, Singapore, China and Brazil. It reported combined sales of €1.3 billion in 2020.

www.frieslandcampinaingredients.com 

FrieslandCampina Ingredients is part of Royal FrieslandCampina N.V. Every day, the company provides millions of consumers throughout the world with dairy products containing valuable nutrients from milk. Its annual turnover amounted to €11.1 billion in 2020. FrieslandCampina has locations in 38 countries and employs about 24,000 people. Its head office is located in the Netherlands.

Notes:
Innova, Top Ten Trends, 2022
FMCG Gurus, Top Ten Trends, 2021