Innova says it’s forecasts are based on wide-ranging global consumer surveys that, coupled with comprehensive market and new product data, reveal not only what is driving consumer decisions now, but also ways in which brands and innovators can successfully adapt to future realities.

Over the last year, cost and value for money have become more important to more than half of food and beverage consumers worldwide.

Today’s shoppers are increasingly exploring money-saving strategies, such as choosing lower cost items and cooking from scratch. But they remain determined to sample new experiences, ensure personal wellbeing and support planetary health. There is more pressure on brands and manufacturers to deliver value while still meeting these wider public expectations.

“Redefining value throughout the food and beverage industry will lead in 2023 as consumers seek brands that listen, understand and respond to their core values. They want brands that provide quality, trust and confidence via their product formulations, communications and wider sustainability actions,”Lu Ann Williams, Global Insights Director at Innova Market Insights

In addition to a heightened demand for competitive pricing, consumers have told Innova they still seek nutritional value and expect a continued shared responsibility for environmental security.

Meanwhile, younger generations who have grown up in an inclusive digital age are gaining greater influence, changing markets and creating new opportunities. Against that complex backdrop, here’s a taste of what Innova’s Top Ten Trends show is in store for the food and beverage industry in 2023:

1. Redefining Value

Brands, innovators, producers and consumers are wrestling with rising costs and greater instability. Combating this requires a deep understanding of where consumers draw the line on compromise.

Strategies such as simple price increases, or flexible ingredient lists to cope with supply chain fluctuations, can work in the short term. However, brands need to be open in their communication and clearly show the benefits they are bringing.

Despite political and economic volatility becoming the second biggest concern for consumers in 2022, the health of the planet remains the top global issue and financial pressures are leading to an increase in eco-friendly behaviours.

Consumers tell Innova they have reduced food waste and upcycled or recycled more as part of their belt-tightening. As the cost-of-living crisis continues, brands can achieve success through actions that combine economic benefits with clear health and sustainability goals.

2. Affordable Nutrition

Over the past 12 months, 62% of consumers have reported a noticeable rise in the cost of their food and beverages. As a result, they are turning their attention to simple but nutritious goods that are affordable. Key behaviours include buying in bulk, opting for private labels, cooking from scratch, reducing spending on luxury items and purchasing fewer items.

Consumers are actively looking for affordable ways to maintain a healthy diet, offering brands many opportunities to test their capabilities to new limits. To meet the nutritional, environmental and economic demands of consumers, manufacturers must innovate to extract maximum value from raw materials and the production process.

3. Generational Push

Younger consumers, raised in an interactive digital world, are creating trends and defining what markets should be providing. For Gen Z and Millennials, food and brand choices are important signifiers of lifestyle, beliefs and values. These demographics have a strong voice and are used to sharing their views openly and widely.

While health is an increasingly important purchase driver – as it also is across older generations – novel and international flavours are winning the hearts of a young and experimental audience. These consumers embrace the new and different, while being extremely responsive to positive engagement from brands.

Courtesy of FoodStuff – read full article here.