We are in the midst of an era where consumer trends continue to shift dramatically, and capturing market trends is the key to success for food and beverage companies. Recently, functional ingredients supplier FRIESLANDCAMPINA INGREDIENTS released a report based on the latest market and consumer research, revealing five trends that will drive the food, beverage and supplements industry in 2022.

1. Focus on Healthy Aging

With an aging population emerging globally, the need to age healthily and slow down the duration of aging is becoming a key consumer concern. 55% of people over 55 years of age believe that healthy aging should be about staying healthy and active. Globally, 47% of 55-64 year olds and 49% of 65+ year olds are very concerned about continuing to stay strong as they age, due to a range of aging issues that begin around age 50, including muscle loss, loss of strength, poor recovery and slower metabolism.

In fact, 90% of older consumers would prefer food to stay healthy over traditional supplements, and they want supplement dosage forms that are not pills and powders, but tasty snacks, or nutritionally fortified versions of familiar food and beverages. However, there are few functional food and beverages on the market today that focus on senior nutrition. How to bring the concept of healthy aging into food and beverages will be an important breakthrough for the related market in 2022.

What are the areas of concern?

1、Sarcopenia and protein

2、Brain health

3、Eye care

4、Metabolic syndrome

5、Bone and joint health

6、Age care food for swallowing

2. Repair of body and mind

Stress and pressure are almost everywhere, and people around the world are seeking ways to repair their physical and mental health. Mental health has been a key consumer concern for years, but the epidemic has heightened underlying concerns - 46% of 26-35 year olds and 42% of 36-45 year olds in the survey actively want to improve their mental health, while 38% of consumers have taken action to improve their sleep.

When it comes to fixing mental and sleep issues, consumers prefer safe, natural and soothing ways to make improvements over melatonin supplements. Last year, Unigen launched Maizinol, a sleep aid derived from immature corn leaves, which was shown in a clinical study to increase the duration of deep sleep by more than 30 minutes when taken at bedtime, and works primarily by promoting melatonin biosynthesis, a compound that is similar to melatonin and therefore also binds to melatonin receptors. However, unlike direct melatonin supplementation, because it is not a hormone and does not interrupt the body's normal biosynthesis, it may be a better alternative to melatonin as it avoids some of the adverse effects of direct melatonin supplementation, such as producing excessive dreaming and dizziness, resulting in waking up feeling tired and sleepy the next day.

What ingredients are of concern?

1、Milk phospholipids and prebiotics from dairy products

2、Hops

3、mushrooms

3. Overall health starts with gut health

Two-thirds of consumers have recognized that gut health is key to achieving overall health, and according to an Innova survey, consumers have recognized that immune health, energy levels, sleep and mood improvement are all closely linked to gut health, which are the top health concerns of consumers. Research shows that the more familiar an ingredient is, the more consumers believe in its effectiveness, and while mainstream ingredients such as probiotics are well known to consumers in the gut health space, education about innovative and emerging solutions such as prebiotics and synbiotics is also critical. Going back to basics with ingredients such as protein, vitamin C and iron can also add trustworthy appeal to new formulations.

Which ingredients to watch?

1、Postbiotic

2、Apple cider vinegar

3、Inulin

4. Resilient veganism

Plant-based is evolving from an emerging trend to a mature lifestyle, with more and more consumers incorporating plant-based ingredients into their diets alongside traditional protein sources. Today, more than a quarter of consumers consider themselves to be flexitarian vegans, and 41% regularly consume dairy alternatives. As more people identify themselves as flexitarian vegans, they need more diverse protein options - including plant and dairy sources. Currently, there is a relative void in the mix of dairy and plant-based proteins where balanced nutrition and taste are key to success, and the use of legume ingredients such as peas and fava beans can provide an excellent basis for creating truly delicious, innovative products that consumers will love.

5. Environmentally oriented

Seventy-four percent of consumers are concerned about the environment, and 65 percent want food and nutrition brands to do more to protect the environment. In the last two years, nearly half of global consumers have made changes to their diets to improve environmental sustainability. As a company, presenting product traceability QR codes on packaging and maintaining full transparency in the supply chain can make consumers more trustworthy, focusing on sustainability starting with packaging, and using recyclable packaging is becoming popular.