Artículo

17/11/2009 - Levels of NPD activity are continuing to hold up well in the face of the difficult global financial situation, with the number of launches in the first 10 months of 2009 ahead of the total achieved in the same period of 2008, according to Innova Market Insights.
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Looking forward to 2010, some key trends and developments are emerging that are likely to have a profoundeffect on the market over the next 12 months or so. Innova Market Insights has identified the following as the top ten new product trends likely for the coming year:

Trend # 1: Sense of Simplicity
The downturn is making people nostalgic for simpler times, and simpler foods. The interest in ‘back to basics’ has driven interest in natural and clean-label foods.

More natural ingredients,including natural sweeteners extracted from source such as apple, agave and maple syrup, are on the rise, and EU approval of the high-intensity natural sweetener stevia also looks close.

While activity is dominated by bottled water and fruit drinks, both of which have the benefit of an inherently natural image, perhaps of most interest is the rising level of interest in natural carbonates, which ismoving away from more specialist products and into the realms of the brand leaders.

Trend # 2: Sustainable Gathers Steam
Increasingly well-informed consumers are looking for locally-sourced, more sustainable and fairly-traded products. While the organic trend has flattened in the downturn, fairtrade new product activity is continuing to rise, with major confectionery companies such as Cadburyand Mars making fairtrade commitments. The notion of carbon footprinting also looks set for a move into the mainstream.

Trend # 3: Inherent Nutrition
It is a tough time to be in the functional foods business. Not only are strict EFSA policies demanding new dossiers on scientific support for well-established ingredients such as probiotics, but consumers are also becoming increasingly scepticalof foods that fail to provide an immediate benefit.

Foods with more traditionally perceived benefits, such as fruit and vegetables and milk, will be pushed further as inherent health benefits are communicated.

Trend # 4: Functional Superstars
The relatively few healthy ingredients lucky enough to have survived EFSA’s early rulings will move to the fore in functional foods, as others will beforced, for the moment, to rely on softer claims. With the pattern of EFSA decisions expressed thus far, it is difficult to predict exactly which ingredients will triumph, but tough times are definitely ahead for radical and obscure ingredients making outlandish claims.

Trend # 5: Going Immune
Swine flu fears have fuelled a demand for immunity boosting products in many countries, and we canexpect ingredients such as probiotics and various antioxidants to be marketed on this platform in 2010.

Manufacturers will have to be careful about overdoing claims, however.

Danone has found itself in trouble with the Advertising Standards Authority in the UK over claims that its Actimel probiotic drinks could help support children’s natural defences and Kellogg’s has already dropped animmunity claim it was using on Rice Krispies in the US.

Trend # 6: New Delivery for Energy
‘Energy’ is the hot concept in functional foods, as stimulating ingredients are used in new applications. Energy shots, until this year an essentially US concept, have now well and truly arrived in Europe, with majors such as Coke and Red Bull getting in on the act. The ‘energy’ concept is also increasinglyhot in confectionery product activity, particularly for chewing gum.

Trend # 7: ‘Free From’ Rises
The gradual move toward more ‘gluten-free’ and other ‘free-from’ foods over the past few years accelerated in 2009 to involve some of the major players and to focus more on taste and quality.

High-quality brands are emerging positioned as ‘easy to digest’, ‘easy on the stomach’ or ‘mild’. At...