Christina Howlett, Global Graduate, Bord Bia - The Irish Food Board
This food alert will review the top 10 dairy trends as taken from a recent Innova webinar, which discussed their consumer survey findings and applied them to innovations within the dairy industry. It will also compare them to Bord Bia’s consumer lifestyle trends, and finally look at new opportunities that can be taken by Irish dairy companies.
Storytelling: Winning with Words
Global consumers are becoming increasingly captivated by the storytelling behind products, with 56% saying that the story behind a brand influences their purchasing decision. Consumers want to learn where the ingredients come from and they want the process explained to them.
Strategies that Irish dairy brands can take from ‘storytelling’ include looking at how the product is produced, the ingredient provenance, lifestyle, taste and flavours or cultural celebration. For example, Ireland has a story to tell about our family farm, grass-fed dairy system and how that differed to others.
- The Good Brand have launched ‘Two Good’ yogurt with 85% less sugar than their regular yogurt. They explain the unique, slow straining process removes the sugar from the milk, leaving 2g of total sugar per pot. No artificial sweeteners.
- German brand, Bergbauern, is a good example of a company who are making the most of the fact their milk is from mountain farms, with ‘100 different herbs for the best milk’.
Plant-based Revolution
Plant based dairy innovation is moving from trend to food revolution status. ‘Plant-based’ is the favoured claim, ranking above ‘vegan’ and ‘vegetarian’, as consumers think it sounds healthier, ‘better for you’ and more sustainable. The claim of plant-based in dairy launches is growing at a rapid rate of 52% over the past 5 years. Plant-based dairy is answering the consumer’s request for clean label, fitting in with Bord Bia’s Health and Wellbeing Consumer Lifestyle Trend.
- Rude health bring this to life with claims that it only uses ingredients sourced from field, orchards and vines, not laboratories. The kind of ingredients ‘you’d have in your own kitchen’, with nothing artificial. Stating this is part of the demystifying process, which consumers appreciate.
- Within this, oats have seen growth of 40% in launch activity in the last 5 years which is evident in brands from Califia Farms and Trader Joes to Nestle and Chobani .
- The future of dairy-free alternatives will be looking at exploring new plant bases. Simply Free contains cacao fruit pulp, where the juice and pulp that surrounds the cocoa bean gives the product sweetness. Therefore there is no need for added sugar or artificial sweeteners and so offers a clean, easy-to-understand ingredients.
The Sustain Domain
Consumer expectations around sustainability and responsible living are higher than ever, pushing companies to prioritise eco-efficiency.Consumers are against excessive packaging, and companies don’t want to create a product that is seen to generate a lot of waste.
- Good Culture believe in food transparency and sustainable farming
- Albert Herz GmbH showcased a home-compostable cellulose pack that fights against the issue of packaging waste at Anuga 2019.
- Harmless Harvest make the most of every harvest by using both water and meat from coconuts. They are effectively communicating how the product is made and how they are minimising food waste.
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Fitting Food into Lifestyle
Nowadays, our relationship with food is much different than in the past. We are now trying to live fuller lives balancing careers, family and social lives while trying to stay healthy. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 health issue, this will only seek to bring more focus on health and immunity (Mintel, 2020). One of the findings from Innova’s consumer survey was that the majority of consumers are experiencing stress more than once a day. Companies are already responding to this with new innovations:
- Yakult have launched a new product in Japan, Yakult 1000, which helps to mitigate stress and improve sleep quality. Sleep deprivation is predicted to be a huge issue in the next 5 years.
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- Sleep Well chocolate milk drink contains valerian, which will ‘help you relax’ and contribute to a good night’s sleep.
This highlights an opportunity for Irish manufacturers to talk about not only health or enjoyment, but how does their product help meet the demands of our lifestyle.
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Tapping into Texture
Some 3 in 5 global consumers say that texture influences their purchasing decisions. Younger consumers care more about the texture than for the ingredient list of a food, as opposed to older consumers.
- Arla Bubble Yogurt (UK) contains fruit bubbles that pop and release exciting bursts of juice.
- Moon Cheese (US) is a protein snack that is microwave vacuum dried to give a satisfying crunch.
- Bauer Crispy Shake Yogurt Drink (Germany)
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Macronutrient Makeover
Consumer focus is shifting as media and science dictates what is and isn’t good for us. Perceptions of macronutrients in relation to health are continuously evolving, and there is typically one common enemy at a time – currently, it is sugar. There is a strong influence of macronutrient perception on innovation, and ingredient manufacturers Chr. Hansen and DuPont are now providing natural sugar reduction solutions, which can add the benefit of a ‘clean label’ final product. However, despite industry pressure to reduce sugar content, consumers still crave sweet flavours.
- Mother Nature Kefir (Indonesia) boasts a low sugar content which is derived from milk and fruits.
- Nescau (Brazil) contains zero added sugar and is naturally sweetened with cereals.
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Hello Hybrids
Adventurous consumers are highly receptive to hybrid products. Innova’s survey revealed that 22% of consumers would prefer fully animal-sourced products, 23% said fully plant-based and 36% said a mix of plants and animals. These type of products take the beneficial elements of dairy and non-dairy products and combine them into one, and tap into the health and wellbeing trend. Here are some examples of companies that are taking the best of both worlds:
- Live Real Farms (US) launched a new line of product with a 50:50 blend of lactose free milk and oat or almond drink. It provides consumers with ‘the best of dairy and plants in one glass’.
- Up and Go (UK) have created a banana and honey flavoured breakfast drink made from a smooth blend of milk and oats.
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A Star is Born
Consumer familiarity and acceptance are crucial for mainstreaming unusual ingredients. For example, prebiotics are entering the mainstream and botanicals (such as red ginseng or hemp extract) are boosting dairy appeal.
- Perfect Day are pioneering a new era of animal-free dairy products using technology. Their ice cream contains milk proteins, but instead of coming from a cow, it is produced through fermentation.
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Eat Pretty
The market is seeing a growing number of launches that border on the cosmeceutical and people are consuming food and beverages that promotes physical appearance. Food for beauty is popular in Asia at the moment, but is rapidly moving to Western countries. Hero ingredients for self-care include proteins like collagen (for skin and hair) and calcium (for strong bones and teeth).
- Dutch Lady produces a milk with added protein that helps build strong bones and muscles.
- Vitasoy (Hong Kong) have launched a black soya bean-based drink which has anti-oxidant properties for healthy skin and nails.
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Brand Unlimited
Brands are creating engaging experiences with customers like never before by making personalization possible. A good example of this is Reis and Irvy’s who allow the people to create their own limited edition product – the consumer chooses their ice cream flavour and toppings through a touch screen and a robot does the rest. The idea of limited edition dairy products generates demand as it’s only available for a shorter time.
Bord Bia is here to help you navigate consumer trends and to help guide how they may be applicable to your business.
References:
· Innova Market Insights (2020) Top Ten Trends 2020: Opportunities for Dairy. Food Ingredients First.
· Bord Bia (2020) Consumer Lifestyle Trends. Retrieved from
· Faulkner D. (2020) Dairy Market review - 2020. Mintel