Trends to watch in 2019

From more adventurous eaters to snack-hungry consumers, we put the spotlight on five of the biggest food and drink trends to watch in the year ahead

As another year nears, all industry eyes will be looking to the top trends for the coming 12 months. What will consumers be eating and drinking in 2019? What kind of products will really make an impact? And what new culinary experiences can we expect to hit the market? To help you navigate the year’s themes and trends, we’ve shortlisted five of the biggest from industry expert Innova Market Insights…

Beyond comfort zones

Consumers are getting more adventurous in their eating and drinking habits as they look to bolder flavours and multisensory experiences. More than ever, consumers want to step outside their comfort zones to try new products and be surprised. According to Innova Market Insights, two in three consumers in the US, UK and China love to discover new flavours. This means producers should consider extending their portfolios with more exotic ingredients, unexpected flavour combinations, new textures, as well as products with a ‘discovery’ claim and standout packaging. Find out how our eye-catching carton bottle – combidome – can help you offer products with new flavours and heightened sensory experiences.

The power of plants

For the last couple of years, plant-based products have been growing in popularity and the market shows no signs of slowing. All kinds of producers have been adding greener, more natural products to their portfolios in a bid to bring plant-based eating to the mainstream. Reasons for this include consumers wanting to eat cleaner or healthier and to have a more sustainable balance between meat and vegetables. The result of this is fresher, less processed foods as well as packaging with more honest and transparent labelling. See how SIG’s end-to-end traceability solution can help you provide more transparent product information for health-conscious consumers.

Seeking alternatives

Tying into the perceived health benefits of plant-based products, consumers are also looking for healthier alternatives to traditional food choices such as bread, meat and dairy. From alternative proteins and dairy to sweeteners, we’re now seeing alternatives for almost every kind of food and drink product. This has resulted in the rise of protein sources like black beans, lentils, peas and even insects, while nut-based products are becoming staple options in the milk and dairy alternative category. Find out how to meet the demand for mobile, healthy and individual products in the alternative categories with combismile – our innovative on-the-go pack.

Going greener than ever

As the plant-based and alternative trends play out, so will the continuing demand for greener products. Innova Market Insights says 64% of US and UK consumers today expect companies to invest in sustainability, meaning producers are under pressure to up their environmental efforts. This means not only using more sustainable-minded ingredients but reducing global waste by using more biodegradable packaging, finding alternatives to single-use plastics and investing in post-consumer recycling. See how to answer the need for sustainable packaging with our SIGNATURE PACK, which is 100% linked to renewable forest-based materials.

Redefining snacking

Consumers are steadily changing their attitudes towards snacking. For many, it’s no longer an optional extra but a definitive consumption occasion. This means producers have been focusing their efforts on creating new or innovative snack products. So much so that the market for food and beverage snacks has grown 10% in the past five years, according to Innova Market Insights. Within this boom, healthy snacking options are showing the fastest growth with notably more vegetable- or root-based snacks and drinks. Discover how to add more natural food pieces, such fruit, vegetables or cereal grains, to your snack products with our drinksplus technology. Want to know more about next year’s trends and how to meet them? Contact us now or learn more about our commitment to Product Innovation & Differentiation.