November 2022
ICYMI: Top Trending Food and Beverage Insights from 2022
As the year slowly winds down into the cozy winter holidays, we wanted to look at the trending themes our community has inspired us to discuss throughout the year. Whether through our weekly blog, monthly newsletter, regular webinars, videos, or e-books, we don’t cover it unless it’s important to you! This year, we saw trending themes around food preferences, the NPD process, and application-specific challenges. Join us as we examine the trends we saw throughout the year and highlight the need-to-know information.
Daypart and Generational Trends
A variety of factors impact our food and beverage preferences. These factors can change from person to person, such as the time of day or the meal you had for dinner last night. Food and beverage preferences can also represent a whole body of people, like specific age groups or cultures.
Throughout 2022, our audience wanted to understand the motivations behind eating preferences. Let’s explore some of our findings from this year related to food and beverage choices (and be sure to click the links below to read more on the topics!):
Kids under seven tend to like flavors that are natural, simple, and easy to understand. Classic flavors like vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry and flavor combinations like peach blueberry tend to work well.
55% of people surveyed report eating different morning foods than the rest of their household, and 63% say everyone fends for themselves for breakfast. (IRI)
52% of Gen Z in the U.S. snack more than once a day, with 37% of these occasions away from home (Technomic).
Labeling, Flavor, and Formulation Considerations
Have you ever wondered what Natural WONF means?
What about how and when to use a bakery emulsion?
And do you know how to leverage seasonal flavors for LTO success?
Our audience posed these and many more labeling, formulating, and flavor questions to our experts over the past year, and we’ve delivered answers through our weekly blog. By leveraging our team’s expertise, you gain access to flavor and applications knowhow as an extension of your team’s knowledge.
Interested in learning more about the different ways a flavor partner can support your NPD process? Read our blog on selecting a flavor partner.
Trending Applications Tips
We know that the members of our community have specific areas of expertise and interest. From confections to dairy to beverage to bakery, our team works to compile helpful tips and tricks for formulators based on applications and trending formats. Sign up for our weekly blog to receive content in your inbox, including videos, interviews, webcasts, and more!
Supply Chain Corner
Stand Out with a Strong Sustainability Story
Did you know that 54% of US adults agree they would pay more for sustainable food and drink products (Mintel)? This figure rises to 68% for US Millennials. How can brands appeal to a population seeking more environmentally conscious food and beverage options, especially in times of inflation? Food and Beverage Insider recommends an intentional sustainability approach and story.
GlobalWebIndex reports that 29% of consumers believe that bold sustainability claims are farfetched. Food and Beverage Insider suggests several actions to chart your brand’s path to a strong sustainability message:
Partner with organizations that specialize in sustainability
Communicate the costs associated with sustainability efforts
Regularly report progress against sustainability goals
Share progress honestly and address gaps in efforts
Regulatory Corner
FDA Finalizes Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods
On November 21, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a new regulation that requires select harvesters, processors, and distributors to take on additional recordkeeping procedures. Who will this impact? According to Food Business News, “harvesters, processors and distributors of products designated by the FDA and included on the agency’s Food Traceability List (FTL)” will be subject to the requirement. The regulation affects food categories such as fresh leafy greens, melons, peppers, sprouts, RTE deli salads, deli meats, cheeses, and more.
Frank Yiannas, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for food policy and response, notes that the new traceability requirement “‘lays the foundation for even greater end-to-end food traceability across the food system that we’re working on as part of the New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative.’” Read more from Food Business News.
Stay Informed with FlavorSum Discover
Are you curious about the latest food and beverage trends, consumer behavior and attitude shifts, and flavor news? Sign up for FlavorSum Discover to receive insights from our experts, including our weekly blog, monthly newsletter, on-demand webinars, and more. You can select your applications and categories to ensure you receive the most relevant content for you and your projects!
FlavorSum Team News
Celebrating our Growing Team
Helping you reach your food and beverage development goals is a priority at FlavorSum, where our team commits to doing what’s right for your brand every day. We’re expanding our bench strength and welcoming the following team members to FlavorSum:
Jujhar S. – Production
Gabriella I. – Quality
Joseph C. – Production
Kristina B. – Quality
Mike Z. – Production
Visit our Careers page to learn about new opportunities on the FlavorSum team
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In the December issue of FlavorSum Insights:
The Faces of FlavorSum
Let’s Connect and Share Daily Flavor News!
Past Issues
October 2022
2023 Food and Beverage Predictions
SEPTEMBER 2022
Boosting Refreshing Beverages with Function and Flavor
AUGUST 2022
How Evolving Consumer Behaviors are Affecting Food and Beverage Innovation