Notable Trends
courtesy of D.D. Willamson, July 2010

‘Natural’

Back to nature. New food and beverage products launched globally containing natural claims — including ‘no artificial colors/flavors/preservatives/additives’ claims — rose from just over a quarter of new launches in 2005 to well over a third in 2009, according to Mintel. (Source: foodnavigator.com.)

Down to earth. Despite the recession, U.S. organic food sales jumped 5.1% in 2009 to outpace total food sales growth of 1.6%, according to the Organic Trade Association. Organic foods account for 3.7% of U.S. food sales. (Source: flex-news-com, April 2010)

Beverages

Whip it up. Smoothies outperformed all other global soft drink categories during 2006-09 with a 39% compound annual growth rate. (Source: Business Insights Ltd.)

Tea for two? New product launches of RTD tea in the U.S. doubled in 2009, according to Mintel. Innovations include red tea, new flavor combinations, and hybrid products like functional teas. RTD tea volume increased nearly 5%. (Source: Beverage World magazine, April 2010)

Sweeter the better. Eight of the Top Ten new spirits (global) launched during 2006-09 are sweet in flavor. Exceptions were coffee and oak flavors. (Source: Business Insights Ltd)

Savor the flavor. Restaurants in the U.S. are shifting to savory in spirits. 73% of surveyed professional chefs classified Culinary Cocktails (e.g., savory, lemongrass, basil, ginger, etc.) as a Hot Trend in restaurant menus. (Source: National Restaurant Association’s “What’s Hot in 2010″ October 2009 survey of 1,800 professional chefs as reported in Beverage Industry magazine, April 2010)

A brew or two for you. Per capita consumption of beer and spirits increased by 20% and 9%, respectively, in 10 years. Gains for beer in developing markets more than offset reductions in some developed markets. Per capita consumption of wine and cider failed to measurably increase over the last decade, according to Canadean Limited. (Source: Brewers’ Guardian magazine, February 2010)

Dairy

Brrrr. Chilled desserts were the largest growing dairy category (global) for new products launched during 2006-09. The share for this category increased from 7.5% to 10.8% in three years. (Source: Business Insights Ltd.)

Two scoops. More (new) organic ice cream and desserts have hit the U.S. market thus far in 2010 than all of 2009, according to Mintel. (Source: Prepared Foods E-dition, June 2010.)

Confectionery

How sweet it is. The term”all-natural” is appearing on more and more candy labels. Large suppliers have recently entered the all-natural category with product launches and/or line extensions, while smaller companies have built their whole business around it. (Source: “All Natural Candy Makes Its Mark”, Candy & Snack Today magazine, May-June)

Savory

Bring on the heat. U.S. consumers have long enjoyed savory salads with sweet dressings. Now, some prepared foods reflect the trend further with added heat. Examples include spicy chicken salad with chipotle vinaigrette dressing and Thai barbecue beef short ribs. Pad Thai noodles continue to increase in popularity. (Source: Prepared Foods magazine, June 2010.)

Baking, Snack, and Cereal

Shake and bake.Coconut and ginger flavors are gaining popularity in the global bakery and cereals sector. (Source: “Emerging Flavors in Food” Business Insights Ltd, March 2010.)

Hue Outlook

Hello yellow. Dark Chocolate has been a popular brown hue in new consumer products — durable and non-durable — in recent years. This year we see that trend saturating with a shift toward milder, more yellow brown hues. (Source: D.D. Williamson)