Food to go future

As the turn of the year approaches, what are the prevailing trends, consumer concerns and possible opportunities, shaping the development of the food to go sector in the wake of so much change, disruption in recent times? It’s a complex picture, but here we outline just some of the most noticeable developments.

GLOBAL CONCERN

Global sustainability has now overtaken personal health as consumers’ biggest issue, claim Netherlands-based global food sector researchers, Innova, in their latest Market Insights’ Top Ten Trends for 2022.

Consumers now rank the health of the planet as their number one concern, overtaking personal health which has been the top priority in recent years. In its Top Ten Trends for 2022, Innova Market Insights – a comprehensive global insight platform for the food and beverage industry – says that it has identified the universal demand for trust in a sustainable future as the biggest driver of consumer behavior in the year ahead.

A sense of joint responsibility for our shared planet is guiding the choices consumers make and the lifestyles they wish to lead. Innova’s Global Lifestyle & Attitude Survey revealing that when it comes to food choices, the top two environmental actions people are taking are reducing waste (43% of respondents) and eating in moderation (32%).

Elsewhere, concerns over health that have been amplified by a pandemic which has massively changed social habits, the continued advancements in technology, and more confident, vocal consumers, all offer clear signs of the direction innovators must take to successfully meet society’s needs and desires in 2022, they feel.

‘Shared Planet’ leads Innova Market Insights’ Top Ten Trends, focusing on how everyone can play their part in shaping a sustainable and prosperous future. Consumers have told them that they want to be ethically and environmentally conscious, so in turn brands need to work alongside the public to breed confidence in the claims attached to products, feel Innova. Trust and transparency are must-haves, they suggest, for any brand wishing to find common ground with an increasingly educated, forward-thinking and interconnected consumer base.

“One of the biggest shifts we are seeing is that the health of the planet is now the top concern of consumers,” says Innova’s global insights director Lu Ann Williams.

“Personal health has been the big concern for the past few years, but consumers now tell us that this has been surpassed by global issues. Sustainability is no longer just a Wall Street issue. It might not be the top purchase driver for all consumers, but for many it clinches the deal when it comes to choosing between products.”

TOP TRENDS

Innova’s top ten trends are based on extensive, top quality consumer and industry knowledge, with the aim of providing the best insights for those needing to stay on top of the changing food and beverage landscape, say the company.

Its continually updated consumer research delves into the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ behind trends in the food and beverage industry, allowing innovators to forward plan with accurate and detailed insight into the main drivers behind consumer behaviour. Looking to the future, they have identified the following top trends that they feel will all be driving innovation and success in 2022.

Shared planet

As planetary concerns outstrip personal health when it comes to consumers’ food priorities, brands are moving on from simply proclaiming their credentials to meeting a clear, agreed and understandable measurement of their environmental and social impact, Innova claim.

There is a pressing need for companies to work together and with consumers to build trust in claims of zero or negative impact, they report. So it is vital to ensure universal acceptance of certifications and greater public faith in the transparency of brand actions (this requires quick, clear, tangible and trusted information combined with a product life story that truly stands up to scrutiny, they advise).

Plant-based: The canvas for innovation

With personal health and global sustainability proving to be strong drivers of consumer choice, plant-based R&D has refocused from mimicking meat, fish and dairy to optimising options that stand on their own merits, say Innova.

When asked what reasons consumers have for considering plantbased alternatives, they told Innova that they consider it healthier and better for the planet. A third reason, the desire for diet variation, is further boosting interest in plant-based beyond the traditional vegan and vegetarian sectors, leading to a 59% increase in launches of new plant-based products in the year to August 2021, it was found. From convenience foods to gastronomy, it seems that people are looking for the quality alternatives plant-based products can offer.

Tech to table

Technological advances have created major innovation opportunities for the entire food and beverage industry, offering greater possibilities to change every aspect of a product’s lifecycle from conception to consumption. While innovators embrace new production methods, consumers turn to apps and AI for guidance on personalised nutrition and a greater understanding of how to successfully fulfil their needs, observe Innova.

Myths and misunderstandings are crumbling, so it has never been more important to engage in honest and open communication with consumers to ensure their continued trust in the advances of food technology, say Innova, with respondents to their Consumer Survey saying that they are more willing to embrace changes such as new food technologies or sharing data if they can be shown to be beneficial to personal and global health.

Shifting occasions

Lockdowns and the pandemic have reshaped existing eating occasions while at the same time helping to create new ones, Innova found. Consumers have a greater awareness of the comforts and possibilities of home, so now seek more from going out. Industry leaders will therefore be pushed to better serve evolving consumption occasions, creating products geared to the new expectations of a public whose social habits have been challenged, propose Innova.

Voice of the consumer

Consumers are calling the shots and expecting more engagement from brands through digital and real-world channels, say Innova. People are looking for food and beverages that align with their political, social and ethical values and if they can’t find them, entrepreneurial consumers are taking action to fill the gap themselves, satisfying specific market niches and cocreating products that meet their needs, Innova report.

Health, authenticity, responsibility and the simple craving for pleasure all combine in Innova’s Market Insights’ Top Ten Trends for 2022, and in addition to the top five, Innova has also identified the following additional themes that they feel are set to drive consumer actions too in the coming 12 months )“gut glory”, “back to the roots”, “amplified experiences”, “upcycling redefined”, and “my food, my brand”).

THE SANDWICH IN PARTICULAR

MealTrak’s continuous panel data monitors trends in consumer behaviour, detailing purchase and consumption, specifically for food to go and the eating out of home categories.

The sandwich has been the saviour of many a working lunch for generations, they acknowledge – a quick, easy, filling meal that’s been a reliable food to go favourite for many years - but it’s not been an easy ride for the last 18 months, so what might the future hold for this traditional staple?

Looking at the whole food to go data, it appears that the sandwich category is surviving well, the researchers report. There are the expected dips from the pandemic, as every category has suffered.

The sandwich market represents approximately 20% of the total food to go category, they point out, and it is fair to say that its return to popularity post pandemic is average; it is doing better than some and not as well as others. So you could say no surprises there, and that it’s looking like a steady recovery pattern in play, but that’s not all, say MealTrak.

WHO’S EATING ALL THE SANDWICHES?

As already mentioned, the sandwich recovery is steady so now could be a good time to consider future proofing strategies for the longer terms, advise MealTrak, whose data shows that the main consumers of sandwiches are in the 25 to 44 years age group.

The chart below indicates a lower take up rate by the younger generation, the 18-24 years group. However, this does not mean that this age group is not consuming food to go, or sandwiches as such, but it’s important to look at the consumption of food to go as a whole picture, caution MealTrak. Then it can be seen that they are choosing other options in preference to the sandwich, their top choices being sushi, noodles, pasta and rice dishes, and cakes/pastries.

Thus, MealTrak data would tend to indicate that the current sandwich consumer is trending towards older working age groups – the generation who are familiar and comfortable with the sandwich but this is a group which is moving up with age, they also point out. So, is now the time to consider how to more actively engage the younger generation to ensure the success of the sandwich for future profits?

MILLENNIALS AND GENERATION Z

The younger generation (millennials and generation Z) are looking for interesting taste concepts and ways of fulfilling their cravings, feel MealTrak. They are interested in new flavours and new presentations based around global influences such as new Asian, Turkish, Greek and Lebanese.

New and flavoursome styles of sandwich bases such as pretzel buns (as seen at the recent lunch! food exhibition) give a marked point of difference and are attractive. Flavoured breads provide added value to the whole eating experience and plant-based fillings are also on the rise, they observe.

Post pandemic, it’s all about having a product which is just a little more difficult to produce at home which is where the preference for unusual flavourings and styles of food has developed, they claim.

HOT SANDWICH SOLUTION?

When looking at the timing of consumption of the sandwich, the cold sandwich is still markedly eaten for lunch time – it’s the quick ‘grab and go’, and is often used as part of meal deal packages to satisfy the working lunch time appetite. 62.3% of all cold sandwiches are consumed at the lunch-time period with the remaining 37.7% spread thinly across the other eating periods, report MealTrak. However, the hot sandwich smooths out the eating period and appeal to consumers at more times of the day, including breakfast time, they observe. What could this mean? The hot sandwich category represents approximately 20% of the total sandwich market. However, when they tracked the growth of the hot sandwich versus the cold sandwich occasions, the researchers say that they can see that the growth track of the cold sandwich is currently at 1.2%, whereas the growth of the hot sandwich, however, is at 16.6%.

As one of the largest categories in food to go, the sandwich market is making a good recovery, especially in the multiple supermarkets, but still has some way to go until we reach pre-Covid levels, they add.

The future success of the category very much depends on the retailers and manufacturers reflecting the ‘new normal’ consumption habits in their development strategies because there are clear signs in the data that show habits and tastes have evolved, they feel.

Therefore, now is a good time to look at all the data elements to review the pattern of consumption, and it’s clear that the age range of for sandwich consumption is getting older, so it’s also a good time to understand what motivates the younger demographic to choose a particular food to go product, they propose.

It’s about capturing the imagination of the 18 to 24-year-olds, they suggest; noting their cuisine preferences, their capacity for global food experiences and

building on that. Different occasions, time of day, hot versus cold, punchy, and sometimes hotter flavours, as well as different carriers, plant-based creativity and exciting branding.

It’s also about knowing when and where such consumers are consuming their food to go choices, in turn meaning that consideration of the packaging and presentation of sandwiches to create inspired engagement is also needed (all data referenced sourced from MealTrak W93 to 4 October 2021).

SHOPPING LOCALLY SET TO STAY?

As acknowledged by Greencore CEO, Patrick Coveney, in his address to the recent British Sandwich & Food to Go Industry Dinner, during the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, attitudes of shoppers in the UK have changed significantly (typified by the rise in online ordering, particularly across older ager groups, and the rise of the communityoriented local ‘suburban shopper’).

People developed a considerable sense of community, confirm sector supply, SnowShock. Rather than visiting the big supermarket on the edge of town, residents would visit their local corner shops and grocers, reigniting old habits (in April 2020, for example, off-licences, greengrocers, independent convenience stores, butchers, and bakeries saw growth of some 37.7% according to Shepper.com data (February 2021, Why people are choosing to shop local).

SnowShock (suppliers of slush machine syrup) say that in looking at this shifting trend, it’s important not only in terms of supporting local communities, but the reducing in our impact on the environment too, having become aware of an increased sense of togetherness but also posing the question whether or not we can expect ‘shop local’ to continue. This shift in trend is a result of changing attitudes and behaviours, they claim. As we tried to stay safe in lockdown by shopping at smaller stores nearby that maybe didn’t require travelling and queuing, we discovered local retailers we hadn’t previously considered and were pleased with what we found, they report.

Mecommi, for example, is a company that delivers products from local market stalls to customer homes. Co-founder, Alannah Wood, commented: “One of few upsides of the pandemic is that people are more conscious of looking out for their local community and the businesses they serve. The market is very much part of this landscape.

“Shopping locally creates jobs and brings money into your local community. Shopping locally brings charm to town centres in the form of home-baked goods, quirky coffee shops, and local delicacies. Many small businesses are unable to trade during a lockdown and suffered a considerable decrease in trade as a result of the pandemic in general. Unless we use them, we’ll lose them. Perhaps even forever.”

Many people are unaware of the significant benefits that shopping locally has, feel SnowShock, but when consumers use their purchasing power to support local business, it helps reduce our impact on the planet we should be looking after, they emphasise.

Not only does shopping locally reduce our food miles, but large supermarket corporations get their stock from producers in other countries, resulting in more miles travelled and more emissions emitted into the atmosphere. Shopping local prevents these food miles and also protects land from developers who are looking to buy out local farms that have much more sustainable practices, the company go on to claim. Indeed, we are at a point in the world where we need to be aware of the damage to the environment, they add, and must be considerate in all areas of life, primarily where and how much we buy when at the shops.

According to Frameweb.com (Why fostering a sense of togetherness is key to adapting to the changing retail landscape, June 2021), fostering a sense of togetherness is a key driving force for local shopping. In lockdown, we craved human connectivity. It is interesting but understandable, then, that when we are forced indoors in social isolation, we realise that people matter the most – friends, family, neighbours.

The pandemic resulted in new living and working patterns, with more people interested in their local hubs and supporting businesses going through hard times. Being, thinking, and acting local creates a better sense of community well-being, which helps us to feel safe and connected in our area by getting to know those around us.

Local stores prevent waste that the large supermarkets are guilty of. Plus, local stores can be hyper-focused on the needs of their community, offering customers exactly what they want.

According to the Guardian (UK shift to local shopping could last beyond pandemic – poll, March 2021), nine out of ten people who were shopping locally said they will continue to do so. Over the last year, around twothirds of consumers have shopped closer to home, and it is expected that fewer people will be visiting large supermarkets. However, online shopping is also growing, which has had an impact on high street retailers who just can’t compete with e-commerce and fast, convenient delivery.

Tom Cheesewright, a leading future trends consultant, commented: “Echoes of this pandemic will be heard long after lockdown is lifted through a sustained shift in our buying behaviours. Changes we expected to happen over a decade have been condensed into a year.”

Independent stores that are committed to meeting the needs of local communities should do well, but at the same time could be well advised to invest in social media, websites, and an outstanding shop experience to draw people from online shopping.