Top 5 Consumer Trends 2019

Insights from some of the world’s largest food and nutrition research providers have been analysed by NZMP, picking its top five trends for food and beverage manufacturers worldwide. NZMP, the global ingredients brand of Fonterra, hopes the information will help its customers worldwide with their product development and positioning.

1. Digestive wellness

New Nutrition Business and Mintel report that people’s increasing awareness of microbiome science, and how it can affect overall health and wellbeing, is changing the way consumers think about food. As a result, there is increasing mainstream demand for products that focus on digestive wellness.

2. Snacking as an occasion in its own right

NZMP research shows snacking has a share of 40% of food and beverage consumption in diverse markets and is becoming an established meal occasion in its own right. As snacking solutions become more accessible and common, demand for the quality of food and beverages in snacking also evolves.

3. Ethics goes 360⁰

Consumer interest in ethical sourcing and sustainability continues, now evolving to extend throughout the whole supply chain. According to Globaldata, 41% of consumers look for ethical or sustainable logos when shopping, 38% are willing to pay a premium for sustainable materials and 30% are willing to pay for social responsibility claims such as ‘pasture-raised’ and ‘humane’.

4. Total wellbeing

Consumers are increasingly mindful of their overall health, evolving from just physical to total body, mind and emotional wellbeing. As a result, positioning products on demographics such as age and gender alone will become less relevant with lifestyle-based positioning taking its place.

5. Adventurous consumption

Launches tracked by Mintel show an increase of 39% in food and beverage launches with “discovery” a key message appearing on pack in 2017 and 2018. Innova notes that, ‘arousing consumer curiosity by including an element of surprise’ is a way to activate this trend.

Alex Turnbull, NZMP Marketing Director, says the trends are helping to shape the global FMCG marketplace, with NZMP at the forefront of delivering to the trends in all of its markets.

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