Health demands to hold steady through 2022, flags Innova Market Insights’ director

10 Dec 2021 --- Next year is set to bring a “strong focus” on lifestyle and nutrition, according to Innova Market Insights’ global insights director, Lu Ann Williams. The market researcher recently revealed its Top Ten Trends for 2022, with “Shared Planet” topping the list.

“However, with the COVID-19 pandemic still lingering and affecting many parts of the globe, health is not taking a back seat anytime soon,” Williams tells NutritionInsight. 

She anticipates that prioritizing both physical and mental well-being will remain key in 2022 as 61% of consumers globally intend to increase their spending on health next year. 

“A significant shift we are seeing this year, however, is planetary health surpassing personal health as the top global issue of concern for consumers.”

“Shared Planet” thereby places health in a whole new, intertwined perspective, where health of the planet rises as an indispensable piece of the puzzle, Williams continues. “Shared Planet” tops 2022’s biggest trends.

Health is key priority
Understanding the bigger picture of health is a recurring consumer theme shaping the food and beverage market, Williams emphasizes.

For example, in “Gut Glory,” the spotlight is placed on the microbiome’s potential to be a game-changer in how consumers manage their health. A growing consumer curiosity toward the link between their gut and other health areas, such as immunity, energy, sleep and mood, takes center stage.

Notably, two in three global consumers say that gut health is key to achieving holistic well-being. 

Meanwhile, in “My Food, My Brand,” Innova Market Insights looks at health from a lifestyle perspective. Consumers want to see their identities reflected in F&B and vice versa. 

This opens opportunities for companies to tailor healthy offerings to project a personal feel, providing an outlet for expression and identity, explains Williams. Two in three global consumers say that gut health is key to achieving holistic well-being.

Parallels between food and supplements
There are many similarities in trend applications between F&B and specialized nutrition – especially for trends that are related to promoting health benefits.

“For example, ‘Gut Glory’ is all about connecting ingredients that boost the gut microbiome with those that target other health areas, offering holistic solutions to multifaceted concerns,” explains Williams. 

In “Back to the Roots,” Innova Market Insights highlights a growing consumer taste for functionality and new flavor sensations through botanical ingredient solutions.

“Additionally, trends that are less ingredient-focused can also be highly applicable to the nutraceuticals space,” notes Williams. 

“A major driver behind ‘Voice of the Consumer’ is consumers being less accepting of ambiguous or blunt claims due to a lack of credibility. So when claiming specific functional benefits on a product, they have to be honest and ideally verified.”

Pinpointing variation
Trend differences between markets mainly lie in the overall consumer landscape, explains Williams. 

Notably, shopping for specialized nutrition already requires a deeper understanding of the link between ingredients and their functional benefits.

Trends also take on a different “flavor” depending on regional differences and trend maturity in the nutraceuticals space. 

“Accelerated by the pandemic, ‘Amplified Experiences’ might be more established as an F&B trend, but that doesn’t mean we don’t see interesting crossovers with the nutraceuticals space, particularly in the US.”

Source of a trend
Consumer needs are at the core of Innova Market Insights’ trends, but when it comes to “creating demand,” both consumers and industry have a role to play.

“I would not attribute direct causality to either of them, but rather look at how both are interacting when looking at trends individually,” says Williams. 

She points to plant-based as an example of demand first driven by a niche consumer market, rapidly gaining momentum and reaching wider audiences through industry developments.Plant-based is an example of demand first driven by a niche consumer market.

“Fast-paced patterns of demand and response enabled the plant-based trend to evolve into what we have now identified as ‘the Canvas for Innovation.’” 

With two in five consumers globally saying that they are more open to new technologies now that they have seen where it has brought plant-based innovation, tracking shifts in consumer attitude is a must in order to anticipate future demand across the industry, Williams emphasizes. 

Consumers speak up
Williams continues that it’s no coincidence that 2022’s “Voice of the Consumer” trend captures a stronger focus on consumer conversations and their increasing role as drivers of innovation.

“Today’s consumers live in a climate that is characterized by declining trust in government, media and large global corporations. This spills over in a need for more engagement from brands and honest food and beverage experiences.”

Unmet expectations can be quite consequential, as seen with cancel culture. Meanwhile, consumer co-creation is taking a front seat, and entrepreneurial mindsets have the potential of satisfying specific market niches, Williams concludes. 

Clear communication was also a key theme of 2021, with “Transparency Triumphs” being this year’s top trend. 

By Katherine Durrell