Retail Market Trends

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A majority of trendsetting food consumers are most interested in discovering recipes that can be prepped in less than 30 minutes. And it’s not just quick and easy meals they crave. Global flavors are driving the next food trends. These are among the findings in the “Consumer Curiosity Report,” a national survey of more than 700 food-forward consumers to gauge curiosity on culinary, nutrition and sustainability topics.

The five brands encompass a wide range of food and beverage brands, from English muffins on a mission to make a social impact, functional iced teas to low FODMAP broths and seasonings. 

“Here at GoodPop we’re enabling families to make better and healthier choices by cleaning up and innovating in categories that typically have lots of sugar ― from ice cream and freezer pops to now beverages,” said Daniel Goetz, CEO and founder of GoodPop, in a statement. “Not only do our Mini Cans have much less sugar than the juice boxes and sodas we're used to seeing in lunch boxes and coolers, we’re proud that they are more sustainable by coming in a recyclable can format.”

With only a couple of exceptions, lower-and zero-calorie sugar alternatives have failed to live up to the multifaceted functionality and flavor of sucrose and its components, glucose and fructose. In fact, great taste remains one of the primary obstacles to overcome with the range of sugar alternatives cropping up in the marketplace. A close second, of course, is performance in a formulation.

"Alcohol marketing is evolving rapidly," said Patrick Egan, director of research & insights, DISQO. "With budget-constrained consumers who are increasingly focused on health, our insights suggest that marketers should be intentional in their messaging. Whether that's educating about differentiated offerings, touting unique production processes, emphasizing functional benefits or justifying higher price points, advertisers need to keep up with consumers in an increasingly crowded category."

Consumers of all ages are most willing to try ethnic cuisines in their home cooking, at restaurants, and when traveling. They name Asian, European, and Latin American flavors as the most influential and Asian as the most familiar and inspirational. Preferences for specific ethnic cuisines, however, vary somewhat based on food and beverage category.

"Our dressings bring versatile flavors to the table making them perfect for marinating chicken, drizzling on tacos or whipping up a pasta salad," said Chick-fil-A Chef Christy Cook. "We love seeing the culinary creations our customers already make with their favorite Chick-fil-A dressings, like Creamy Salsa Waffle Fries."

Although there are dollars-and-cents implications for every aspect of a new product, you can’t put a price on absolutely every ingredient. That’s because some brands embrace purpose-driven goals or “social ingredients” that factor into the finished product.

Prepared Foods highlights recently launched, innovative sauce products.

A.I.'s capabilities can reduce product development cycles from 1-2 years (or at best, half a year) to as little as one month. This process is the result of coordinated efforts between multiple A.I. systems, each excelling in different areas, while collaborating on the development. With more than one hundred A.I. systems in existence worldwide, collective operation ensures a high level of innovation.