Craving health and convenience
Following on from our previous Seizing Opportunities story, exploring the effect of growing global consumption, we look at key products in demand amongst consumers
When it comes to consumer trends today, brands, producers and retailers will know that tastes and preferences are continuously changing. But at the heart of all this change, one thing is resoundingly clear: consumers are now far more aware of their health and diet than ever before.
In previous stories on SIGnals, we’ve examined this growing healthstyle trend and seen how consumers are seeking food and beverages that improve their health, taste great and save them time. And we’ve explored the impact of a wider clean-eating trend with consumers across all markets choosing to eat cleaner, fresher and less processed foods.
But what does this all mean for brands and producers? What opportunities are these demands presenting? And how exactly can you differentiate your products to make them healthier and more convenient than ever?
The value of health
Today, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that healthy living is shaping the food and beverage industry. In Europe and North America, for example, research shows that the ready-to-drink beverage market will grow as a direct result of rising awareness for health and wellbeing. And in the US alone, the global health and wellness food market is set to be worth $812bn in 2021, up from $707bn in 2016, proving that health is big and here to stay.
With this growing awareness of diets, alongside a global shift towards on-the-go lifestyles, consumers want beverage products that are healthy, convenient and which taste great. Ones that are easy to handle, hold, open, pour and close, and which are designed to fit into a busy life. And as a result they’re willing to pay a premium for honest, healthy and free-from products.
Digging deeper, research shows that 59% of consumers think products with fewer ingredients are healthier. In addition, a large number of consumers driving demand – millennials – want whole food ingredients such as real fruit pieces when snacking. And a significant 74% of consumers are actively using food and drink products to improve their health.
A meeting of trends
Alongside a clear preference for health, added convenience is also high in demand amongst consumers – especially in the on-demand era where life moves fast and consumers face more choice than ever. And, as we’ve also seen on SIGnals, this growth in so-called elevated convenience is paving the way for more premium convenience food and drinks.
Together, this combined demand for healthy, convenient and premium products is presenting a huge opportunity for brands and producers to differentiate their products and add perceived value. This means not only offering healthy drink products that are high in nutritional quality and premium value but products that are extremely convenient and easy to consume – anytime and anywhere.
Stand out with SIG
All these demands are tailormade for SIG with our unique filling capabilities and flexible range of convenient carton packs. With our ground-breaking drinksplus technology, for example, you can fill a wide range of liquids with different viscosity levels and particulates – such as fruit, vegetables or cereal grains. This enables you to create everything from healthy, premium fruit juices to drinkable milk snacks and more, meaning you can easily answer the growing dietary and wellbeing demands of consumers.
From affordable to premium, we also offer a full range of convenient carton pack formats for beverages. So, whether you need a small 80ml pack for one-shot drinks or large 2,000ml volumes for family-sized demands, we have packages that flexibly cater to every target group and occasion. This means you can offer healthy, convenient and premium products across several different volumes, and quickly react to changing health trends and demands.
And at the heart of our packaging is our range of aseptic barriers and structures. These structures ensure our packs can handle different product types, such as milks, juices and liquid foods. And they ensure the highest food safety standards and quality – helping retain nutrients, flavours and colours for up to 12 months. Ultimately, this means consumers concerned about health and wellbeing can get a safe, quality and great-tasting product every time.
Scaling up safely
As we’ve seen so far in this series, global consumption is growing and consumers are craving more health and convenience. This is placing greater competitive pressures on producers to quickly react to new demands, meet higher standards, increase their output and also reduce costs. All of which is making food safety, trust and transparency key concerns.
Don’t miss part four in our series when we’ll look at how food and beverage producers can overcome these challenges and demands to ensure more safety, efficiency and transparency in their supply chains.
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- julio 10, 2020