Sustainable Food Production

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The ingredient was developed using a patented fermentation process on grape derivatives and allows food manufacturers to reduce sugar and sodium while enhancing flavor and increasing shelf-life across many different food and beverage applications.

Gen Z is the most racially and ethnically diverse generation, too. According to Pew Research, Gen Z represents the leading edge of the country’s changing racial and ethnic makeup – with 52% non-Hispanic White, 25% Hispanic, 14% Black, 6% Asian and 5% a different race or two or more races. The US Census Bureau projects that by 2026, the majority of this generation will be non-White.

Wasted food is a major drain on business and on the planet. Shelf Engine, a perishable food forecasting specialist, estimates that supermarkets alone discard more than 43 billion pounds of food each year and that excessive food waste costs the grocery industry more than $50 billion in lost profits annually. 

Without giving away too much of the content, here are some of the hottest trends you should be paying attention to if you plan on launching a food, beverage, or supplement in the next five years.

International plant nutrition leader, Haifa Group, Ltd., and food-tech innovator, SimpliiGood by AlgaeCore Technologies Ltd., have joined forces to optimize the SimpliiGood spirulina supply chain while promoting their net zero goals. This partnership delivers benefits to both companies’ products and bottom lines in the short term. It also positions them to create a sustainable circular carbon economy within the next several years. 

Inline Plastics is answering that call and doing so in a sustainable fashion. The company now offers seven new rectangular products in its Essentials Platters line. These all-clear, rectangle-shaped platters are also made with 10% post-consumer content.

Corporate leaders have identified a clear need to focus on technology for finding solutions to tackle global challenges and drive growth. Leading CEOs are already embedding sustainability into their businesses through launching new products and services for sustainability (63%), enhancing sustainability data collection across their value chains (55%) and investing in renewable energy sources (49%). Nearly half (49%) are transitioning to circular business models, and 40% are increasing R&D funding for sustainable innovation.

PepsiCo announced a global packaging goal intended to double the percentage of all beverage servings it sells delivered through reusable models from 10% to 20% by 2030. This ambition is part of PepsiCo Positive (pep+), the company's strategic, end-to-end business transformation that puts sustainability and people at the center of how the company will create growth and value.

Extending the shelf life of food and beverage products—and communicating this to consumers—could be one way to reduce food waste. In fact, according to the Innova Packaging Survey 2022, 40% of consumers surveyed globally from 11 countries agree that shelf life has a strong influence on their purchasing decisions.

"Exploding energy costs, crop failures, and supply chain disruption are all forcing companies to future-proof existing business models or bear uncertainty and increased cost implications," says Regan Leggett, foresight leader, NielsenIQ.