Austrian food company Agrana Fruit, part of Agrana Group, has announced its food and drink trend predictions for 2019 and beyond. “Each year we produce a global trend presentation featuring all major global consumer trends. We connect the dots of future macro-trends, gain insight into what consumers value and how they decide what they want next. This is a major way we support our customers to find new growth opportunities,” explains Johannes Kleppers, Agrana Fruit CEO. 

The company has identified six global consumer trends in 2019:

Conscious Citizen.

Holistic Health.

Me-We.

Craving Experience.

I-tech.

Buy Me Time.
 

The trends Agrana has noted correspond with several of the trends that Innova Market Insights has highlighted as drivers for 2019, such as the number one trend “The Adventurous Consumer” as well as other trends such as “Eating for Me,” “Connected to the Plate and “Alternatives to all,” which is connected to sustainability.

Consumers are at the core of the trends as they are the ones consciously or subconsciously making the decision of what to buy. However, they are influenced by many external drivers such as economical, environmental, political or technological changes. 

“For food and drink, consumers take into consideration factors like health, lifestyle, indulgence, trust or community belonging for making their decisions on which product to choose from the shelf,” Melanie Sturm, Agrana Global Market Intelligence Manager, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

With sustainability on everyone’s mind, agrana puts forward that the “Conscious Citizen” is one of the biggest trends that will influence the food industry in 2019 and beyond with a demand for less waste, sustainable packaging and organic produce.

“In general, we see all of our identified six consumer trends growing. One trend that stands out in growth is the ‘Conscious Citizen.’ This trend can be described mainly as the mindfulness of consumers looking for wholesome solutions good for themselves – their body and their mind – while at the same time not harming animals or the planet,” notes Sturm. 

According to Sturm, the sustainability trend has been around for some time but what Agrana Fruit sees as upcoming, in particular for 2019 and beyond, is a focus on a circular economy and the avoidance of food waste. Looking at the numbers proves the growth of this trend, she notes.

As more consumers pay attention to health and sustainability, replacement foods and ingredients are on the rise, this includes alternative dairy, proteins and sweeteners, for example. Sustainability and health concerns around ingredients such as palm oil that have received negative press attention are also leading to the demand for new solutions. 

Another trend is the “Me-We” trend, which implies the constant struggle consumers face between wanting to belong to a tribe or having more individuality. Agrana says that a consideration for individual needs while still retaining inclusivity towards other values or beliefs should no longer be an unattainable balancing act. Consumers nowadays are more socially and environmentally responsible in order to feel part of a community. 

The company also notes that as the year progresses, these trends will continue to grow and develop. Health claims are expected to increasingly influence the food sector, which in turn will try to develop new sensory experiences while maintaining sustainability. 

Consumer shifts driving trends 
Sturm says the main reason these trends have risen is due to changes in consumer behavior and “the trends are the manifestations of these changes in the market.” 

“Depending on the trend, this can mean different shifts. For the ‘Conscious Citizen’ trend, it is a growing environmental responsibility paired with the rise of mindfulness. The holistic health trend is mainly driven by an increasingly aging population with particular health needs going beyond nutrition,” she explains. 

“The ‘Craving Experience’ trend, as the name already reveals, is based on the urge for experiencing something new and extraordinary – going beyond what is already known. All trends, but in particular the ‘I-tech,’ ‘Buy Me Time’ and ‘Me-We,’ are strongly influenced by the technological advancements that have been made, for example, social media and food delivery apps,” Sturm notes.

Agrana says the trends are bound to have an influence in terms of NPD. “Many new products on the market do not only encompass one trend but merge aspects of several trends. We predict clean label products to increase across all categories Agrana Fruit supplies to – be it dairy, ice cream, bakery or beverages. For dairy, this could mean a fruit yogurt with only two ingredients (i.e., yogurt and fruit) on the ingredient list, nothing else,” Sturm says.

“We also foresee growth for healthy and natural snacks containing fruit encompassing the trends of ‘Conscious Citizen,’ ‘Holistic Health’ and ‘Buy Me Time’ in only one product application. In yogurt and ice cream applications multi-sensory products will play a major role using bold colors, inclusions or fruit pieces for creating diversified textures, but all natural,” she concludes.

Agrana Fruit offers a wide range of solutions for the food and beverage industry. The fruit solutions are suitable for use in the dairy, ice cream, bakery, food service and beverage industries.