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Home » Authors » Lu Ann Williams

Lu Ann Williams

Lu Ann Williams is director of innovation at Innova Market Insights, provider of market research services including the Innova Database. With 20 years’ experience in the food industry, Lu Ann is a trend expert and frequent public speaker at events worldwide. She leads a team of analysts and works with global clients. Contact her at luann.williams@innovami.com

Articles

ARTICLES

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Where Taste Meets Technology: Manufacturers Explore Virtual Reality

Food and beverage product developers use digital experiences to enhance brands, breed innovation
Lu Ann Williams
September 13, 2023

Digital is the force that has been reshaping our lives and will have a greater impact in the years to come. We are in the middle of an accelerating digital revolution that impacts every aspect of consumers’ lives. Moreover, the digital world is evolving into a bigger, faster, more immersive and interconnected entity.


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Favorite Consumer Flavors Across Global Cuisines

Tracking how quickly food and flavor trends spread from one region to another
Lu Ann Williams
August 7, 2023

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.


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Incorporating Social Ingredients into Product Development

Products marketed around sustainability, for instance, enjoy price premiums and consistently outperform market competition
Lu Ann Williams
July 28, 2023

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.


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Consumers, Manufacturers Align on Importance of Health

Researchers uncover distinct generational differences impacting the development of new food and beverage products with aging-related features
Lu Ann Williams
June 16, 2023

Healthy aging could be defined as staying active and in good health—both physically and mentally—while getting older. Overall, three-quarters of consumers we survey report that healthy aging is “very” or “extremely important” to them. 


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Functional Ingredients Flourish in a New Wave of Foods and Beverages

Plant-based ingredients and products align well with opportunities in 2023
Lu Ann Williams
May 22, 2023

Consumers want to know that the products they purchase will deliver the benefits they value. It’s clear that they look to functional ingredients that improve their health. Innova’s number two trend, “Affordable Nutrition,” goes hand-in-hand with the top trend.


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Gen Z Consumers Influence Everything from Taste to Expansive Food and Beverage Trends

Product developers work to position new innovations and messages to youngest group of adults
Lu Ann Williams
April 28, 2023

Gen Z consumers are trend creators who define what markets should be provide. They welcome positive engagement with companies and seek new experiences.


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Upcycled Ingredients Star in New Wave of Finished Foods and Drinks

Food and beverage product launches with a food waste and/or upcycling claim experienced 52% average annual growth between 2017 and 2021
Lu Ann Williams
February 15, 2023

Wasted food is a major drain on business and on the planet. Shelf Engine, a perishable food forecasting specialist, estimates that supermarkets alone discard more than 43 billion pounds of food each year and that excessive food waste costs the grocery industry more than $50 billion in lost profits annually. 


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Snacks Appeal to Consumer Interests with Fun, Indulgence and Nutrition

Consumers are poised to splurge in small ways on affordable pleasures such as snacks that bring a high level of enjoyment for a low price.
Lu Ann Williams
January 13, 2023

Each fall, Innova Market Insight releases its Top 10 Trends for the coming year. Then the anticipation and excitement begin as we link those top trends to topics we write and speak about—including snacking.


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Tracking 2022 Packaging Trends

Processors, Packaging Suppliers Push Sustainable Advances to Reduce Waste
Lu Ann Williams
December 14, 2022

Extending the shelf life of food and beverage products—and communicating this to consumers—could be one way to reduce food waste. In fact, according to the Innova Packaging Survey 2022, 40% of consumers surveyed globally from 11 countries agree that shelf life has a strong influence on their purchasing decisions.


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Sugar Reduction Remains a Priority for Consumers and Manufacturers

Reducing sugar content can be a challenge for formulators who want to retain product sweetness, taste, and sensory characteristics
Lu Ann Williams
November 16, 2022

Replacing sugar is more complex than simply replacing sweetness. Sugar carries flavor, enhances mouthfeel, provides bulk, is essential for browning through the Maillard reaction with amino acids, and attracts and retains moisture. In cookies and biscuits, for example, sugar interfaces with flour and fat to affect texture, firmness and spread. Without sugar, products may not crystallize properly, aerate, or set. 


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Events

September 28, 2023

Powerful Protein—From All Perspectives

ON DEMAND: There’s no more dynamic food and beverage ingredient market than that of protein. Join us as Elohi Strategic Advisors Founder, Stephanie Lind, leads an energetic panel discussion of all the emerging trends, twists, and technologies in protein.

October 5, 2023

From Taste to Texture: Plant-Based Caviar Alternative

The plant-based food market is growing faster than ever, and this growth doesn’t stop on land. This webinar will address a number of issues in developing great-tasting, high-class seafood alternatives.

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