EMERGING FOOD AND FLAVOUR TRENDS DURING COVID PANDEMIC

INTRODUCTION : The global flavor and fragrance market was estimated at $28.19 Billion in 2019 and is expected to hit $35.91 billion by 2027 registering a CAGR of 4.7% from 2021 to 2027. ( Allied Market Research, 2021). Of the total world market, flavor accounts for approximately 56% and fragrances, the remaining 44%.

There are various flavor segments like Sweet (Bakery, Confectionery and Dairy), Beverages (Carbonated Drinks, Alcoholic Drinks, RTD Tea and Coffee, Sports Drinks), Savoury (Snacks, Savoury, Convenience and Ready to eat, Meats), Oral Care / Pharmaceuticals ( Toothpaste/Mouthwash, Vitamin Formula, Sports Nutrition) and Others ( Pet food, Animal Feed, Infant Nutrition and Tobacco). We will not discuss market share of various flavor segments in this review paper. This review paper attempts to compile various emerging food and flavour trends during Covid Pandemic. I hope you will enjoy reading!!!!

Due to COVID 19 Pandemic, consumers are looking for food and beverages that cater to changing needs. Due to stay at home, lockdowns and reduced travels, Consumers are looking for excitement hence new experiential and bold flavours are preferred in food and beverages. Several Flavour & Fragrance companies have predicted various food and flavor trends which are overlapping across the various flavor categories like Globally Inspired flavours, Comfort & Indulgent Flavours, Spices & Fusion Flavours, Natural, Botanical & Herbal Flavours, Functional Foods & Drinks , Sustainability, E Commerce, Clean Labels and the most important, Health & Wellness.

GLOBALLY INSPIRED FLAVOURS : Due to reduction in travel due to pandemic, some consumers are looking for food and beverages to provide adventure and cultural exploration which they would experience if travelling. As consumers are seeking new experiences from the comfort/ safety of home, flavours with an enhanced sensory appeal in terms of spice, heating, cooling and tingling are finding their way into popular food products.

While consumers cooked more than ever in 2020-2021, they missed more elevated and complex meals. There is a shift away from comfort food toward healthy dishes with fresher ingredients and even more vegan / vegetarian options. Consumers are experimenting with different flavor notes like roasted, Caramelised, smoked etc.

Gobally inspired flavours will have an upward trend because of Pandemic. With Japan Olympic games happening later this year, there is a surge of interest/curiosity for Japanese tastes (Savory, Umami, Kokumi and Miso) and Flavours.

COMFORT AND INDULGENT FLAVOURS : Nostalgic, comforting flavours are still liked by the consumers. Consumers are desiring for comforting, nostalgic and indulgent foods / beverages to cope up with pressure/ stress from the pandemic as well as economic hardships. Covid 19 pandemic has brought out the foodie or in house chefs in many consumers.

During times of hardships and uncertainty, consumers are looking for familiar products and flavours that gives sense of comfort. Due to work from home culture, consumers are preparing foods at home. Consumers want to go back to normal / better time of the past hence looking for new and improved flavours.

Consumers are looking for flavours that elevate and blend classic favorites with ingredients that offer functional benefits and a sense of empowerment. With lot of time at disposal due to lockdown, consumers are growing home gardens and using these ingredients in their salads / cooking. These garden inspired flavours are providing sense of immunity and feeling of improved health to the consumers. Consumers are looking for fresh, home grown ingredients in their cooking. Even though Consumers are looking for vegetable and herbal flavours, many still seek out for sweet treats. Desire for healthier version of classic comfort foods (Low sugar, Natural sweetener, Plant based options) is on the rise.

The long period of stress/ uncertainty, social distancing is changing the consumers behaviours. Due to Covid pandemic more consumers are cooking and eating meals at home, stocking up their kitchens with online groceries purchases and looking for foods/ beverages for comfort, health, indulgene, adventure depending on their moods and needs. Due to cost savings, healthier eating and trying new recipes, Consumers is spending more time in kitchen during pandemic.

With many consumers working from home, there is a increase in home eating. Indulgent comfort foods provide an escape from increased stress level and offer a simple splurge that is popular during challenging times. More cooking at home has brought repetitiveness in the meals and this boredom/meal fatigue has led some consumers to try new recipe / new flavours.

SPICE AND FUSION FLAVOURS : Spice consumption is on the rise since consumers are making meals at home and trying new style of fusion cooking with unique tastes. Consumers are desiring for better taste as well as an interest in experimenting and trying some new ethnic offerings. Consumers are ready to try new dish if it contains unique flavor or ingredients and like to explore new flavours, spices & seasonings.

Ginger is the current star among spice flavours. Commonly paired with familiar evergreen flavours, spices take on a more exclusive, leading role in new product launches.

One key trend leading product innovation within the market is the emergence of novel and unique flavours allowing consumers to customize their food as they like, with brands also striving to maintain convenience and versatility in their innovation.

NATURAL / BOTANICAL / HERBAL FLAVOURS : Botanical flavours delivering health benefits are set to thrive. Herbal flavours and spices like Ginger, Cinnamon, Turmeric etc. are gaining popularity globally and are key to drive  health focused Ready to drink (RTD) innovations.

Consumers are looking for stress relief, digestive health, energy boost and immunity support and COVID 19 has reinforced the importance of having a healthy immune system.

Delivering a touch of elegance while meeting consumers expectation for natural ingredients, floral flavours in RTD Tea are blooming. Floral Ingredients like Chrysanthemum, rose, honey suckle etc. are being valued for their positive role on health.

Honey often being used regularly to deliver both flavours as well as sweetness. Even though not much suitable to achieve sugar reduction, Honey’s long established role as traditional remedy is emerged as a flagship ingredient in RTD tea.

FUNCTIONAL FOOD : Functional food innovation is a growing trend within the food industry. Low salt consumption and sugar reduction are in the limelight because they are the key culprit for various chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular issues and diabetes etc.

The combination of consumer panic buying and Covid 19 outbreaks at several meat processing facilities put strains on meat and poultry supply chain, resulting in meat shortages in some European countries. This prompted consumers to try meat alternatives like plant based meats. While Pandemic has accelerated the growth of plant based meats, this category will have excellent growth post pandemic.

Consumers are trying to eat more plant based foods pushing alternative proteins into an increasingly mainstream phenomenon. Demand for plant based protein products is rapidly expanding beyond burgers to sea foods to Cheese to Snacks.

SUSTAINABILITY : Consumers want to have positive impact on the environment through their everyday actions hence buy sustainably produced items. Growing awareness about impact on the environment has forced food companies to demonstrate their sustainability commitments from responsible sourcing and operating standards.

Consumers are increasingly interested in knowing where the ingredients and their products come from and whether companies are using sustainable methods to produce these ingredients or not. F & F companies are doing research about sustainable methods and practices to ensure that consumer gets what they desire for without adversely affecting the environment.

Consumers are now increasingly concerned with farm to table and especially with rising urbanization, people are now aware that they are loosing touch with the origin of their food and how their food is made. Consumers are now more careful about selection of their food they are consuming. Provenance and product origin has become increasingly crucial to consumers.

CLEAN LABELS : Consumers now expect food labels to provide greater transparency around the product life cycle. This has helped drive the demand for locally sourced products as consumers seek greater clarity on where the ingredients in food / beverages come from. The quest for cleaner ingredients extends to flavours with many seeking natural alternatives. Natural sweeteners (Stevia, Monk Fruit) are also growing in popularity as many consumers seek out natural ways to reduce their sugar intake.

Covid 19 Pandemic has put new emphasis on the link between diet and health. While health will have a growing influence on future purchase decisions, flavours remains a primary purchase motivation for consumer and is an important link that connects consumers with healthy drinks.

E COMMERCE : Consumers are embracing eating at home and E commerce more than ever. The pandemic has heightened the need for direct to home food purchases. Some consumers are eating more comfort and indulgent foods while some are opting for healthier foods, using foods as a medicine to stay healthy and away from diseases. Due to stay at home and restaurant closures during Pandemic, many consumers are opting for quick and convenient meal delivery

The growth in E commerce business offers greater opportunities for food manufacturers to connect / talk directly with their consumers and gains insights on their preferences and needs. These learnings can be used to optimize new product development/ taste preferences.

There is an increased demand for ready to eat, Processed and canned foods which can be purchased easily online and this has driven the flavor industry across the globe.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS : Health and wellness has taken prime importance due to pandemic and there are trends favoring flavor profiles associated with functional benefits like fruits and botanicals. Plant based ingredients are being shown up in categories preferred by health conscious consumers like Protein bars and nutritional beverages. Consumers are reaching out for natural positioned beverages of all types including functional drinks which support immunity and improves mood & relaxation.

Consumers have placed an increased emphasis on food as medicine and upped their demand for functional foods and beverages that support immunity. Many consumers have their diets to boost their immune system and keep themselves healthy during pandemic. Consumers have increased their consumption of vitamins or supplements like Vitamin C, D, Zinc, Probiotic and elderberry etc. Several companies have launched new products containing immunity boosting ingredients like Vitamin C, D, Turmeric, Cranberries, Ginger etc. and stress relieving ingredients like Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Rhodiola rosea, Kava (Piper methysticum) etc.

Covid 19 has heightened interest in health and wellness prompting consumers to explore every corner of the globe for products that has purported to prevent or cure mental / physical woes. The global health crisis has changed consumer preferences in new and unexpected ways. There is a increased demand for foods and beverages that support immune systems, enhances our mood and reduce our environmental impact.

Consumers are purchasing more items that naturally contains beneficial ingredients. The desire to influence health and wellness through food/beverages is creating new opportunities for products with functional benefits like improve immune system, enhancing moods, stress buster and sustaining energy.

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. Products targeting the microbiome have been launched to address specific metabolic conditions and issues such as weight management, Immune system support and better emotional well being. This has led to launch of functional products containing Prebiotics, Probiotics and Post biotics that support microbiome function.

CONCLUSION : Consumers are very eager to return to normalcy and this has aspire many food and beverage product makers cautiously approaching flavor innovation in the year ahead because consumers are finding comfort in classic and nostalgic flavours during the pandemic.

Working from home and online learning continue to be new norm and companies are coming up with offerings with more varied pack sizes to satisfy the cravings at any time of the day. Savoury cravings may be satisfied with new flavours that complement the comfort and nostalgia trends.

Many consumers are eager to get on with life and craving for excitement hence global tastes, fusion flavours and adventurous flavor experiences are being tried as limited addition products. Limited edition products are a lower risk approach to experiment with flavor innovations. Products like ice creams, candies and snacks are good place for more experiential flavours due to low purchase price and fun eating experience.

Although Pandemic resulted in deep recession with staggering unemployment levels and economy slowdown, consumers did not exhibit the usual price sensitivity towards food purchases and instead, moving to more premium and indulgent products. Consumers are buying more “Premium” products to recreate their favorite experience at home, more meal kits to cook predefined recipes at home and more premium or speciality food items to prepare restaurant style meals at home.

Spirit flavours are gaining popularity during pandemic. Consumers want the flavours but without alcohol. There has been an increased launches of non alcoholic beverages that carry spirit flavours and are positioned to be as exciting as their alcoholic counterparts.

Colour trends have also influenced flavor innovation. Refreshing , uplifting flavours that are associated with well being like Citrus, fruits and berries are being launched across the globe. Consumers are becoming more adventurous with their food / beverage choices.

There will be burst of exuberance and an interest in making up for the lost time and lost eating experiences. However, health and wellness will never be far from consumers mind hence new botanicals will emerge. Tried and true flavours will continue to thrive as world recovers from the pandemic but once recovered, consumers will be in a mood for celebration and experiments. Consumers will want to move away from the tastes that reminds them of their uncertain time.

The health trend is prevalent across globe and has become more prominent after the COVID 19 outbreak as there are more health conscious consumers who chooses healthier products. You can see many products emphasizing on sugar free or less sugar & low salt and many packages are displayed with healthier options such as healthier choice etc.

Focus on health and wellness is heightened and consumers are looking for food and beverages to achieve their goals. So food makers have an opportunity to combine healthier ingredients with comforting flavor profiles.

Rise in demand for ready to eat meals and fast food, Introduction of new flavours, heavy inflow of investment in R & D activities and high demand for flavor across the globe to produce commercialized clean label or green food products free of harmful ingredients driving the global flavor market. On the other hand, allergies associated with artificial flavours, chemicals and preservatives restrain the growth. However there is an upcoming trend of natural flavours due to rise in health awareness. This has open new avenues / opportunities for the flavor industries.

Various flavor trends discussed above are common across the various product categories. Capturing all these trends and transforming them into new value propositions will decide the success of the flavor companies post pandemic.

Note : The views of the author in this article are personal. The data/ figures presented in this review article are collected from various media sources, internet and Scientific Journals. If you have any questions / queries, please feel free to write at [email protected]. Constructive feedback / Suggestions are most welcome. Stay Safe and Happy Reading!!!!!