The 2023 Food and Beverage Flavor War Assembly Number has been blown…
As the saying goes, “there are only three major epidemics”, and the life that has been suspended for three years due to the new crown epidemic has pressed the restart button with the arrival of 2023. However, the overall social environment seems to be returning to normal, but the long-tail effect of the epidemic is continuing when it is subdivided into groups or individuals. The long-term accumulated mental internal friction makes people urgently need to find an outlet for their emotions. What is projected in the consumer market is the urgent need for products that can bring a good experience.
For food and beverages, it is precisely through the stimulation of the five senses in the “color, fragrance, and shape” that people can bring the supreme and beautiful experience at their fingertips. Especially when the competition between new and old brands is heating up, and the industry’s “involution” is becoming more and more obvious. If food and beverage brands want to stand out, they must grasp consumers’ demand for a better experience, and the flavor has become an important influence on the experience. The key to quality.
According to a consumer survey released by Nielsen in 2021, nearly half (42%) of consumers worldwide say they like and dare to try new things, especially looking forward to and curious about products with new flavors. According to Mintel’s global consumer research data, 73% of consumers like things that remind them of the past, which laid the foundation for the explosion of nostalgic flavors.
It can be seen that contemporary mainstream consumers are obsessed with the pursuit of stimulating and novel taste experiences on the one hand, and are keen on the deep memory of classic tastes on the other hand. So, how should food and beverage companies find a balance between novelty and familiarity, to complete a series of actions for product growth?
In this regard, Austria Juice, a leading beverage manufacturer with global operations, recently released its “Future Development Trend of the Global Beverage Market”, and recently gave unique insights and predictions on the flavor trend of the food and beverage industry in 2023.
1. Refuse to be bored and enjoy the exotic and healthy sour taste
In recent years, the number of new sour products represented by citrus flavors has steadily increased. According to Innova market observations, citrus flavors occupy a place in almost all food categories, and the compound annual growth rate of citrus flavor-related products in 2017-2020 is as high as 7. %. Among them, soft drinks and bakery categories accounted for more than 40% of all citrus-flavored new product launches, while citrus-flavored new product launches of sauces and seasonings grew the fastest among all categories, with an average annual compound growth rate of 15%.
In addition, driven by the health trend, citrus fruits have attracted the attention of consumers who want to improve their immunity through the consumption of food and beverages. Among them, are the well-known lemons, tangerines, oranges, blood oranges, bergamot, and grapefruit Citrus acidic fruits such as citrus can not only bring fresh and pleasant, sweet and sour taste and aroma to food and beverages but also because they are rich in vitamin C and various minerals, dietary fiber and antioxidants and other healthy ingredients have begun to appear in the beverage market It’s popular.
Entering 2023, the sour taste will continue to shine with its excellent refreshing feeling, and through the mix and match of different citrus fruits, we can achieve micro-innovations in taste, bringing consumers a more colorful sour taste experience.
For example, classic citrus elements such as orange, grapefruit, and lemon are combined with pink grapefruit, lime, Japanese yuzu, and other Internet celebrity fruits that have only become popular in recent years. At the same time, in addition to citrus fruits, more and more brands have begun to try to express a sour taste by using sour cherries, and a new trend has gradually formed.
On the other hand, behind the market’s enthusiasm for sour flavors is the desire and yearning of consumers for exotic flavors. According to Austria Juice, 74% of global consumers currently say they like products with novel and distinctive tastes, and 63% of consumers think that exotic foods and beverages from all over the world are very attractive. And these exotic flavors that make consumers yearn for are often achieved through sour flavors such as grapefruit, citrus, tamarind, bergamot, fig, orange blossom, blood orange, guava, mango, and lime.
case:
Olipop Lemon Lime Soda
Soda drink brand Olipop has launched a new ‘Lemon Lime’ flavor for its famous range of functional sodas. The new flavors continue Olipop’s commitment to providing delicious, healthy drinks for kids, using a gut-friendly formula with just 4 grams of sugar per can, and infused with the refreshing lemon flavor of Lemon Pie for a memorable taste.
Ben Goodwin, Olipop’s founder, and CEO, said: “Traditional soda flavors mean a lot to many people, so it’s a great moment for us when people swap out their beloved childhood flavors for Olipop’s healthier versions. Huge honor. Therefore, Olipop has poured a lot of enthusiasm and love into the development of each flavor and insisted on paying tribute to the classics. The same is true for the development of this new product, and we also hope that more people can taste our piece with enthusiasm.”
Source: food business news
2. Herbal flavor, continues to fuel immunity
In recent years, under the wave of dietary health that has been heating up, natural plant ingredient products with health attributes such as “natural, safe, and beneficial” have become a new choice for more and more consumers to satisfy their dietary health.
According to some reports from Nielsen, 80% of consumers try to control and improve these health problems through dietary therapy, and plant-based foods, which are generally considered by the public to be beneficial to physical and mental health, have become their first choice. Especially in the post-epidemic era, the health threat brought by the new crown has made people realize the importance of immunity, so more and more consumers are trying to use the power of plants to improve their immunity.
As the concept of natural health gradually becomes popular among people, brands, and manufacturers are using the power of natural herbs to carry out innovations. More and more herbs and their extracts are widely used in various food and beverage products. middle.
In this regard, Austria Juice said that consumers’ interest in herbal flavors has generally increased by 31% in the past two years. In 2023, herbal flavors will continue to be the highlight of food and beverage innovation due to their powerful health benefits.
For example, turmeric, maca, ginseng, green tea, cinnamon, cardamom, mushrooms and other mushrooms, rhizomes, and herbs commonly used in spices began to appear frequently in new beverage products. In addition, acai berry, raspberry, black currant, or blackberry are rich in vitamin C, which can improve immune function, and the berry flavors can perfectly present the effect of Pantone’s 2023 color of the year “Viva Magenta” (extraordinary magenta) also become a popular choice for food and beverage in 2023.
case:
MUD\WTR rise Matcha & balance Tumeric
MUD\WTR is about to launch Rise Matcha and Balance Tumeric, two new solid drink products of adaptive mushroom blends designed to boost energy, improve focus and support the immune system.
It is reported that Rise Matcha is an energetic morning drink mixed with 100% organic matcha spices and mushrooms, which can help consumers quickly concentrate and replenish vitality; Balance Tumeric is a mixture of caffeine-free medicinal mushrooms, turmeric, and fragrances designed to encourage consumers to purposefully take a break from the daily grind to provide calming, restorative healing benefits.
Shane Heath, founder and CEO of MUD\WTR, said: “We believe everyone should be able to have a healthy mindset, and while not everyone can achieve this today, sometimes all it takes is a new healthy habit to be an improvement.” That domino of life.”
Source: WPRI
3. Fusion flavor, unstoppable
Generation Z, known as the natives of the Internet, benefits from advanced technology and can easily obtain massive amounts of information every day. With just a swipe of a finger, new things happening around the world will come into view in the next second. It is precise because of this high-speed information-based living environment that Generation Z has a strong sense of trying new things. At the same time, its threshold for novelty becomes higher, and the timeliness of being interested in things becomes shorter. shorter.
Therefore, when this group of Generation Z consumers enters the main stage of the consumer market, the traditional single flavor has long been outdated, and food and beverages are increasingly pursuing complex and refreshing flavor experiences. In Innova’s survey on consumer preferences for snacks, 70% of consumers prefer novel, interesting, and adventurous flavors.
For this reason, food brands have begun to mix and match flavors, and a variety of new flavors such as sweet and spicy, sweet and sour, and sweet and salty have made their grand debut. Austria Juice found that consumer demand for adventurous flavors will increase by 20% in 2022, with fusion flavors like Spicy Honey growing by 26% in the US market. In addition, Austria Juice also found that food and beverage manufacturers mixed Latin American flavors in beverages such as Horchata (a traditional Spanish beverage), resulting in sales growth of more than 45% in the past two years.
case:
Minute Maid Aguas Frescas Pineapple Horchata
Minute Maid is expanding its line of Aguas Frescas with a brand new Aguas Frescas Pineapple Horchata for the upcoming summer.
It is understood that Horchata is a creamy drink made by soaking white rice in water. Minute Maid’s new Aguas Frescas is an innovative mix of pineapple and Horchata, two popular Latin American flavors, making the creamy taste perfectly blended with the sweet and sour taste of pineapple, thus creating a new taste experience for consumers.
Source: Walmart
4. Discover innovative experiences from classic nostalgia
As children, we yearn to grow up, only to realize that adult life is nothing but a mess. In addition, due to the poor economic environment in recent years, the pressure of life on most adults has been increasing, and they need to be healed and comforted physically and mentally. As an important keepsake carrying happy childhood memories, many consumers rely on nostalgic flavors to “spiritually warm up”.
In this regard, AUSTRIA JUICE found through observation and analysis that compared with previous years, food and beverage manufacturers this year are more inclined to use strong and strong flavors to create nostalgic tastes. In addition to new food and beverage products, strong flavors such as chocolate, caramel, biscuits, or coffee will more easily evoke consumers’ nostalgia, thus making the product stand out in the highly competitive market environment.
According to relevant data from Mintel, 86% of consumers in Europe say that familiar tastes bring them a sense of comfort. Conveys a sense of pleasure and security. Brown flavors such as caramel, apple pie, or biscuit as well as flavors often reminiscent of childhood such as bubble gum, marshmallow, or popcorn are therefore also popular in beverages.
On the other hand, AUSTRIA JUICE also found that the most popular beverage flavors in the EU in the past three years were led by classic flavors such as apple, orange, and lemon, but such as Chai (a drink in India), caramel, cranberry, echinacea New flavors such as tea and tea are also growing rapidly.
At the same time, this also gives some inspiration to food and beverage companies. When re-studying nostalgic flavor foods, it is also necessary to focus on how to find out the differentiating attributes of new products that are different from classics. Innovation and change, finding the balance between novelty and familiarity.
case:
GNC Girl Scout Adventures Lean Shake
GNC Girl Scout Adventurefuls Lean Shake is a new limited-edition protein shake designed to allow consumers to increase their protein intake while enjoying the same delicious taste as Girl Scout Adventurefuls Caramel Brownie.
This protein shake is low in calories and high in protein, and at the same time combines the taste of Girl Scout Adventurefuls’ classic caramel brownie, creating a new way of experiencing the familiar taste in consumers’ memory. It will undoubtedly become a loyal fan of Girl Scout biscuits Our new must-try items.
Commenting on the new product, Kevin Maloberti, GNC’s vice president of merchandising development, said: “We’ve added a new line of products inspired by Adventures biscuits to meet consumers’ needs in terms of taste and efficacy, and we will integrate consumer feedback on these flavors with combined with the important mission of Girl Scout.”
Source: GNC
5. The “sense of transparency” obtained by the product
With the continuous improvement of consumers’ health awareness in recent years, they desire to feel safer in all aspects of life and begin to pay more attention to the safety and health attributes of food and beverages, which all drive food and beverage manufacturers to pay more attention Clean and transparent products or innovative technologies such as green health and clean labels.
At present, about 71% of consumers worldwide are willing to pay more for brands that reformulate and make them cleaner, and more than 30% of them are even willing to pay a premium of more than 20%. When Ingredion surveyed the Asia-Pacific market, it was found that consumers from China pay the most attention to food labels and ingredients. About 85% of Chinese consumers pay attention to the list of ingredients when buying food, and they are concerned about artificial additives, etc. Unclean ingredients have strong resistance.
On the other hand, as the trend of flexitarianism continues to grow globally and vegan diets become mainstream, more and more people are abstaining from or eliminating animal products for a variety of reasons, including health, sustainability, and ethics. AUSTRIA JUICE found that in India, 30% of the population has chosen to be vegetarian. In Europe, sales of plant-based foods are expected to grow from EUR 1.5 billion to EUR 2.4 billion by 2025. Global plant-based food sales are expected to grow to $85 billion by 2030.
Because of the growing demand of consumers for the “transparency” of food, some products that are consistent with their concepts, such as non-alcoholic or low-alcohol beverages or plant-flavored products, have been enthusiastically sought after by the market.
case:
Treehouse NaturalsOriginal Pecanmilk
Treehouse Naturals launched a new line of canned pecan milk beverages in February this year, and its raw materials are selected from top brands of high-quality pecans. Pecans, an organic nut, are rich in antioxidant properties, heart-healthy fatty acids, and rich in flavor.
The new products are produced in the form of canned beverages, making it easier for consumers to enjoy plant-based milk at any time, which can be drunk directly, paired with smoothies, or added to coffee. At the same time, the product is packaged in cans of recyclable materials. If unopened, it can be stored at room temperature until the shelf life on the can lid, and the empty can be recycled after drinking.
Source: trend hunter
Numerous claims:
From the above trends, it is not difficult to find that the flavors favored by consumers can either provide strong health value, can be associated with distant journeys, or can evoke childhood memories…
In the choice of raw materials for expressing flavor, botanical ingredients have undoubtedly become one of the most popular elements, whether herbs, flowers, spices, and roots are used more frequently to create unique and fascinating flavor combinations; and Spice ingredients such as turmeric are becoming more and more popular, and in recent years, they have shined in the high-end market.
It can be seen that current consumers are not only looking for new and exciting taste experiences but also attach great importance to the health value of products. To stand out in this flavor war, food and beverage companies must successfully balance consumers’ ever-changing needs and preferences to create innovative, delicious products.
