Interview
Interview
The “ 10 Key Trends in the Business of Food , Nutrition and Health for 2016 ” is available from www . new-nutrition . com :
• Beverages redefined new opportunities lie in the flourishing world of health niches
• Snackification - from cheese to bugs , there are no limits
• Dairy 2.0 - reborn as a natural whole food and ripe for reinvention
• Redefining sweetness
• The fragmentation of the consumers ’ mind
• Naturally functional - three high-growth ingredients powered by the King of Trends
• Plant-based foods and beverages
• E-commerce powers the growing direct-to-consumer trend
• Protein up and away in America as the rest of the world looks on
• Free-from - spotlight shifting from gluten to dairy 100
“ Attractive pictures on social media of interesting new dishes from other cultures have expanded their horizons and fostered a culture of experimentation .”
BISCUIT WORLD : Could you tell us more about what “ the fragmen ta - tion of the consumers ’ mind ” means , mentioned in “ 10 Key Trends in Food , Nutrition and Health 2016 ”? Julian Mellentin : Wider culture of fragmentation : Just as consumers have diverse musical tastes - they no longer feel they have to commit to a certain style - when it comes to food and drink , there is also a culture of dipping in and out . Fragmentation is now a defining force of food and beverage markets : Consumers create their own defini - tion of what a healthy diet is - mixing health and indulgence , or vegan and meat-eating - and experimenting with new tastes at a pace that larger companies struggle to keep up with . Technology enables choice : Easy access to information has enabled consumers to become their own experts on matters of healthy eating . Attractive pictures on social media of interesting new dishes from other cultures have expanded their hori - zons and fostered a culture of ex pe - rimentation . Furthermore , E-com - merce means that consumers can easily order and try whatever food catches their eye . Making their own decisions about health : Having seen “ set in stone ” die - tary advice about dairy fat and eggs overturned , consumers are skeptical about the “ expert opinions ” of die - ticians and nutrition resear chers . This means that they allow them selves more freedom to create their own health rules ( while , at the same time , using the internet to de cide for themselves what is healthy and what is not , and even to self-diagnose ). Willingness to experiment : From the US to France , consumers are disco ve - ring that experimenting - mixing up your diet with a variety of cultures and cuisines - can be fun . This is some thing that the millen nials have learnt from their baby boomer pa - rents , who were the first gene ration to do this back in the 1970s .
BISCUIT WORLD : One of the chap - ters in your study is called “ Snack - i fication - From cheese to Bugs , There Are No Limits ”. Snack ifi ca - tion is essential for the biscuit in dustry but what major changes in taste should consumers expect ? Julian Mellentin : A steady - slow , not revolutionary - shift from sweet snacking to savory .
BISCUIT WORLD : Everybody is tal king about niche products ( free- from , vegetarian / vegan , clean / clear label ). What about regular biscuits / cra - ckers ? Should this type of product expect a decrease in sa les or is the market considered sta ble ? What makes “ regular ” spe cial ? Julian Mellentin : There is a niche for everything and the cookie mar - ket will gradually fragment into a wealth of niches . For “ regular ” co - okies , the best bet is to be as ho nestly indulgent as possible - cho - co late , sugar , whatever gives plea - sure . Consumers embrace honest indul gence as much as they em - brace health , maybe even more .
BISCUIT WORLD : Is fat-free / low fat still a trend for the biscuit / cracker industry ? Julian Mellentin : In many markets , it is in long-term decline .
BISCUIT WORLD : As diary-free is an important general trend , how will it influence the biscuit market ? Julian Mellentin : Some people like to see “ dairy-free ” on a list of product
BISCUIT WORLD • Spring 2016
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