NPD in action: Energy ingredients

“Storytelling: Winning with Words” leads Innova Market Insights’ Top Trends for 2020. As consumers are increasingly captivated by the stories behind their food and beverage products, ingredient benefits are often highlighted in global food and beverage launches, including supplements and nutritional products. Other key trends for 2020 include “The Plant-Based Revolution,” “The Sustain Domain,” “The Right Bite,” and “Tapping into Texture.”

Consumers are looking for innovative ways to take the benefits of a high-protein diet into their daily life. Food and beverage launches with whey protein, including supplements, experienced an average annual growth of +18 percent globally between 2014 and 2018. Target groups are now the generally active consumers rather than just athletes.

The health benefits of collagen are well established within the food industry and touch on sectors such as sports nutrition, mobility and the beauty-from-within space. Beyond supplements, functional collagen is increasingly applied across market categories such as confectionery and dairy products, with a growth of +23 percent globally between 2014 and 2018.

Immune health claims are increasingly seen in global food and beverage launches, with an average annual growth of +15 percent between 2014 and 2018. Of all launches in 2018 with such a claim, one in three products are “Baby & Toddlers” products. Both flaxseed and turmeric/curcumin play a key role in the growth of immunity boosters, with an average annual growth of +43 percent and +41 percent respectively in global product launches between 2014 and 2018.

The number of people with diabetes is increasing globally. According to the World Health Organization, it is one of the most common causes of death causes, meaning more people are trying to prevent spikes in their blood sugar and reduce their sugar intake. New foods and beverages with diabetic claims keep entering the global market. With an average annual growth of +39 percent in global product launches between 2014 and 2018, India is seeing a particularly sharp increase in diabetic claims.

Not only does the fermentation process bring a unique, sour and umami flavor to food, but it also creates beneficial bacteria. Eating fermented foods that are rich in probiotics is one way to boost gut health. In addition to traditional foods such as yogurt and kimchi, consumers can now enjoy more options including chocolate made with fermented cocoa and ice cream with a fermented milk filling.