Articles by Lu Ann Williams

Today, it’s hard to keep up with the dramatic evolution of protein ingredients that fall under the umbrella of plant-based. This includes the growing numbers of ingredients that are not even based on plants. Here’s a brief look at current trends that help define movement in plant-based ingredients, followed by predictions for the future of alternative proteins.

At the top of the trends hierarchy are five macro forces that impact consumer needs and behavior: focus on health, increased cost of living, potential political and global threats, technology transformations, and health of the planet. This last force, health of the planet, inspires consumers to do what they can to manage their impact on the environment. Sustainable packaging is essential to health of the planet because it allows consumers to take action in a tangible way.

Several of Innova Market Insights Top 10 Trends for 2024 support continued successes in the snack food industry. Our third 2024 trend, “Prioritizing Prevention,” demonstrates how consumers take action to prevent health concerns and select healthier snacks.

Every year, Innova Market Insights compiles its Top Ten Food & Drink Trends. The company's latest research shows that food price inflation and the need to cut back on expenses continue to affect consumer markets worldwide.

Although plant-based has become a popular term in the dairy- and meat-free categories, it does not accurately describe all developments in this fast-moving field. There are technologies that generate “animal-free,” bioidentical ingredients such as dairy whey and dairy casein. Even so, “plant-based” continues to grow in use, with indexed average annual growth of +42% between 2017 and 2022.

Today, Innova Market Insights finds energy products targeting two different need states: short term and long term.

Digital is the force that has been reshaping our lives and will have a greater impact in the years to come. We are in the middle of an accelerating digital revolution that impacts every aspect of consumers’ lives. Moreover, the digital world is evolving into a bigger, faster, more immersive and interconnected entity.

Consumers of all ages are most willing to try ethnic cuisines in their home cooking, at restaurants, and when traveling. They name Asian, European, and Latin American flavors as the most influential and Asian as the most familiar and inspirational. Preferences for specific ethnic cuisines, however, vary somewhat based on food and beverage category.

Although there are dollars-and-cents implications for every aspect of a new product, you can’t put a price on absolutely every ingredient. That’s because some brands embrace purpose-driven goals or “social ingredients” that factor into the finished product.

Healthy aging could be defined as staying active and in good health—both physically and mentally—while getting older. Overall, three-quarters of consumers we survey report that healthy aging is “very” or “extremely important” to them.