Looking ahead into 2021, ADM is highlighting the staying power of accelerated themes in F&B product development, such as a spike in demand for brain-boosting formulas and ingredients for gut health. The agri-food supplier also calls attention to “beyond the bun” diversification of plant-based categories.

The company explores these market dynamics through its newly unveiled global trends for 2021. 

“Our experts pay close attention to what’s happening in the global marketplace, including tracking large, transformative global macrotrends that are key to understanding long-term impacts on consumer culture and behavior,” Ana Ferrell, vice president of marketing at ADM tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

“Through that work, we’ve pinpointed five key trends that we expect to transform food and beverage innovation for 2021 based on their accelerating adoption and opportunities for future advancement.”

The themes are based on research from the ADM’s proprietary OutsideVoice consumer insights platform. Each of these trends is strongly influenced by behavioral and societal changes that have emerged since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ferrell compares the lifespan of a product trend to a passing “fad.” “A fad is generally considered an object or behavior that achieves short-lived popularity before fading away, while a trend evolves into a long-term or even permanent change.”

“We believe relevancy to the consumer drives longevity – when a trend aligns with your personal values it has more staying power than something like the color of the year or the latest spicy food.”

The upcoming year is hailed as “a year of innovation” by ADM, marked by significant breakthroughs in nutrition. “The global health crisis has changed consumer preferences in new and unexpected ways,” comments Vince Macciocchi, president of nutrition at ADM. 

“We are seeing a heightened demand for foods and beverages that support immune systems, enhance our mood and reduce our environmental impact, driven in part by emerging human tensions.”

The five trends pegged by ADM include: 

1. “A more proactive approach to nourishing the body and mind”
ADM research finds that 31 percent of consumers are purchasing more items tailored for their health, and 50 percent report a preference for foods and beverages that naturally contain beneficial ingredients. 

There is sustained demand on the market for functional health benefits aimed at supporting immune systems, enhancing mood and sustaining energy. 

Sensory elements like flavor and color are also playing an increasingly crucial role in this context. Last month, ADM turned the spotlight on “signaling ingredients” formulated to help consumers make a link between functional foods and health benefits.

In particular, consumers are gravitating toward foods and beverages with bright and exciting colors that indicate citrus flavors, with their naturally occurring vitamin C, as well as products with familiar, nostalgic flavors during these stressful times.  

2. “Sustainability takes center stage” 
Over two-thirds (65 percent) of consumers want to have a positive impact on the environment through their everyday actions, according to ADM. This is a key reason why 32 percent of consumers buy sustainably produced items. 

Specialized feed to reduce methane emissions in livestock, for instance, is helping to address consumer interest in more eco-friendly protein sources. New farming practices, such as regenerative agriculture, are being used to enrich soil, resulting in carbon drawdown and improvements to the water cycle. 

Meanwhile, renewable plant-based materials such as cornstarch and even seaweed are appearing in consumer packaging to reduce landfill waste. 

2. “The gut microbiome emerges as the gateway to wellness” 
The pandemic has accelerated consumer interest in a more holistic approach to health, which includes a greater understanding of the foundational role of the gut microbiome on each individual’s health. 

Approximately 25 percent of global consumers suffer from digestive health issues, ADM highlights. Of those, 50 percent claim that it has a moderate or severe impact on their overall health.

“As consumers proactively seek foods and beverages that support a healthy microbiome, we are exploring new ways to incorporate probiotics into more challenging formulations such as dairy products and baked energy bars,” Ferrell tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

“Our HT-BPL1 is a postbiotic made from heat-treating the probiotic BPL1 that targets metabolic health. It is uniquely tolerant to high-heat applications and other harsh processing conditions like pasteurization commonly used in dairy foods and beverages.”

Products targeting the microbiome have been shown to help address specific metabolic conditions and issues such as weight management, immune system support and better emotional well-being. 

This provides fertile ground for food and beverage innovation with functional solutions like prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics that support microbiome function. 

4. “Plant-based food boom expands beyond the bun”
Globally, 56 percent of plant consumers are trying to eat more plant-based foods and beverages, pushing alternative proteins into an increasingly mainstream phenomenon.

Demand for plant-based protein products is rapidly expanding beyond just burger analogs to new and novel products, including alternative seafoods like shellfish and shrimp, plant-based cheeses, ready-to-eat protein snacks and more.

Alt-meat products also continue to evolve, with new technologies like 3D printing and protein fermentation playing a role in driving innovation. New plant-based meats on the horizon include whole-muscle products like steak and chicken breast, lunch meat, bacon and more. 

The dairy alternative category, an early leader in the plant-based nutrition space, is growing to encompass other formats such as yogurt, ice cream, butter, spreads and creamers. To stand out in the dairy aisle, products must deliver more protein than traditional dairy, and feature a nutritional label fortified with vitamins and minerals or functional ingredients like probiotics. 

5. “Transparency builds consumer trust” 
Consumers now expect food labels to provide greater transparency around the entire product life cycle. This is helping drive the demand for locally sourced products as consumers seek greater clarity on wher the ingredients in food and beverages come from. 

According to ADM, 26 percent of global consumers look for the country of origin on food and drink labels. 

The quest for cleaner ingredients extends to flavors and colors, with many seeking natural alternatives, whether it be elderberries to give a product a rich blue hue or peppermint and mint to elicit an energizing burst of coolness in foods and beverages. 

Sweeteners such as monk fruit and stevia are growing in popularity as consumers seek out natural ways to reduce their sugar intake.

Transparency was also crowned a the number one theme in Innova Market Insights’ Top Trends for 2021, released last month.