Packaged Facts examines and forecasts how current trends across 14 food retail categories will influence growth through 2022.

By virtue of their upbringing, Gen Zs are unintentional foodies and were brought up in a culture that talks about, celebrates, and entertains with food, according to the recently release NPD report, Make it Happen for Gen Zs.

It's increasingly difficult to place new food and beverage products into clearly delineated categories. Product developers are blurring the lines between meals and snacks, health and indulgence, and traditional protein and plant-based foods. 

Thirty-one percent of consumers in Q4 2017 said they are struggling to buy needed groceries compared with 30% in Q4 2016.

Today’s Millennials are shifting more toward moderation and they’re prioritizing high-quality, tasty foods and beverages in place of excessive alcohol consumption. In the beverage sector, Innova Market Insights has seen big brands adapt their marketing of light drinks toward the more mainstream consumer—with the focus on worry-free enjoyment. This has resulted in an increase in drinks with a low alcohol content. 

"Clean label"—despite lacking a legal or commonly accepted definition—is a wake-up call to the food industry to re-examine ingredients, formulations, and processing for contemporary consumers who are increasingly mindful of their food and beverage choices.

Spanning the universal themes of preservation, automation, aesthetics, sustainability, and trust, these trends provide a full view of next year’s global packaging industry.

Consumers are embracing prepared foods and retailers couldn't be happier. Supermarkets embracing prepared foods are experiencing significant growth.

Millennials have now surpassed Boomers in numbers but Boomers remain a large population and their behaviors still have a significant influence on the marketplace.

The global plant protein market is witnessing significant growth as the demand for sustainable, non-GMO plant-based food sources increases worldwide.