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. 

Each fall, Innova Market Insight releases its Top 10 Trends for the coming year. Then the anticipation and excitement begin as we link those top trends to topics we write and speak about—including snacking.

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.

Replacing sugar is more complex than simply replacing sweetness. Sugar carries flavor, enhances mouthfeel, provides bulk, is essential for browning through the Maillard reaction with amino acids, and attracts and retains moisture. In cookies and biscuits, for example, sugar interfaces with flour and fat to affect texture, firmness and spread. Without sugar, products may not crystallize properly, aerate, or set. 

The global COVID-19 pandemic had a marked impact on consumers’ attitudes toward health. COVID took a heavy toll on people in poor health and consumers looked for quick ways to boost their health as a defense against the disease.

For the past few years, the Innova Market Insights list of Top 10 Trends has included a plant-centric trend. This acknowledges the growing presence of plant-based foods and beverages, as well as alternatives to traditional animal-based products. 

It’s no longer enough for dairy alternatives to simply be plant-based. Increasingly, new product development is focused on products that replicate the taste, texture and nutritional content of their conventional dairy equivalents.

Consumer research conducted by Innova Market Insights consistently shows that consumer definitions of natural and of clean label are very similar. Furthermore, many consumers believe that natural products also are organic.

In the United States, specifically, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 call for consumers to “limit foods and beverages higher in added sugars” to less than 10% of daily calories. Research shows the top sources of added sugars in the US diet include sugar-sweetened beverages, desserts and sweet snacks, sweetened coffee and tea, and candy.

Looking back on the past two years of a global pandemic, we see how a handful of megatrend forces are continuing to shape change in the world.