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Eating out, dining in: Consumers want to see innovation in the foodservice sector
Menu for me: Consumers want personalised products that address their specific health needs
Consumers are becoming more concerned about their health and wellness than ever before. This is something that can be attributed to a variety of factors. For instance, society ageing means that consumers are placing more importance on staying fit and active until as late in life as possible. Consumers can also feel that their diets and lifestyles are not as healthy as they could be, something which leads to health problems later in life. Finally, consumers are also becoming more conscious about their immune health and overall wellbeing as a result of the pandemic. As consumers become more conscious about their health, they will be seeking out products that maximise wellbeing. However, consumers can feel that there is a lack of products on the market that meet their specific nutritional needs.
One area that consumers recognise has a significant impact on health is genes and DNA. Consumers believe that this is something that can significantly influence health and wellbeing. At the same time, few consumers have done research into this area of their health. This is something that creates an opportunity for new innovations within the immune health market, such as nutrition genetic testing. This is where consumers provide DNA and personal samples to consumers in exchange for a health assessment and personalised products to help address health issues. While consumers are not overly familiar with this concept, when given a definition, many say that they would be willing to use such services. This is because such innovation is associated with boosting the immune system and helping facilitate healthy ageing.
However, when launching innovations such as nutrition genetic testing, brands need to take ethical considerations into account. For instance, some consumers can be conscious about whether such information is reliable or whether you can influence DNA-related issues. This means that brands must be fully transparent in communicating what can be achieved with such products. Security is also an issue, and consumers must be confident that any sensitive information sent to third parties is handled accordingly. Finally, consumers admit that they are conscious about whether such innovations could result in them receiving information about an unavoidable health problem later in life, as that will severely impact on their immediate mental wellbeing.
Nevertheless, as consumers continue to become more health conscious, the demand for customised product solutions is something that will continue to grow.
58% Proportion of consumers interested in food and drink products that are customized to meet individual nutritional needs (2020)
85% 81%
56% 74% 79%
73%
Australia China Indonesia Japan Malaysia South Korea Vietnam
Source: Personalised nutrition survey, Q3 2020 (10,000 respondents)
Source: Personalised nutrition survey, Q3 2020 (10,000 respondents)
