Just say the magic words - healthy, sustainable, good for environment

The November-December 2020 edition of FoodPacific Manufacturing Journal (FPMJ) brings you the most recent news for food and beverage manufacturers and suppliers. In the past few months, major companies have been reiterating how the pandemic has abruptly changed consumer behaviour -- and how the industry has had to adjust to the entire situation. As end-consumers ourselves, you and I know the focus has been on staying healthy and maintaining a robust immunity, so you guessed it there will be hundreds of new food and beverages incorporating the  ingredients we crave for - from vitamins to probiotics to ingredient solutions that support heart, bones, gut and mental health. While many of these good ingredients have always been around, we can expect them to come alive in convenience foods, snacks, and RTD beverages, and some of which we might be taking for granted. FPMJ has reported on so many of these ingredients and solutions, and a growing number of these products are marketed as natural, organic, made from sustainable sources, healthy alternatives to fat or sugar, innovative, efficient, and so on. For today's consumers, these are all good to hear. In fact these product descriptions are like magic words especially to Millennial consumers who are said to be a more choosey type when it comes to food and drinks. 

One of the reports we have in the November issue comes from the Australian Macadamia group who characterises the Generation Z as born in a time of “flux, fluidity and mass disruption”, are totally different from past generations when it comes to their food and beverages choices. The group quotes  Jim Richards, CEO of plant-based milk specialists milkadamia who says: “Today’s consumers are looking for wellness, but the lens through which wellness is viewed has changed. It used to just mean good nutrition, but now, especially to younger generations, it’s so much bigger than that. Consumers want to be vital, energetic and well. But they also recognise that they can’t be well if everything around them isn’t well.”

I quote BENEO in one of their  their reports: Environmental concerns have been heightened as a result of COVID-19. This is in part due to some consumers questioning whether issues such as air pollution have increased respiratory issues, making people more vulnerable to the disease. This concern is being translated into altered buying patterns, with 60% of consumers now being more attentive to the impact that their food and drink has on the environment.

The "magic words" extend to packaging and processing, of course. A good product has to come in a safe packaging that is green and sustainable. There is no compromising on that proposition. With their R&D working day and night to meet circular economy goals, the packaging industry is getting there. Big food and beverage companies are living their pledges to fight for the environment, while food startups are impressing consumers with their innovative options such as edible packaging, and more plant-based.    

Check out all latest reports in FoodPacific Manufacturing Journal - November 2020