Novel flavor formulation remains vital as three-quarters of consumers “love to discover new flavors,” says Innova Market Insights

10 Feb 2020 --- Flavor is, on average, the single most important factor in consumers’ food and drink choices. New research by Innova Market Insights outlines that interest in novelty and variety is particularly high, as three-quarters of global consumers “love to discover new flavors.” Generationally, the market researcher highlights that Millennials are the most adventurous in their attitudes to flavor, while Boomers are pegged as the most conventional. Perhaps surprisingly, Gen Zs have been less interested in mixing it up when it comes to taste.

“When asked if they like new, mixed or seasonal flavors, Gen Z agreement was generally at least 10 percentage points lower than that of Millennials,” Lu Ann Williams, Director of Innovation at Innova Market Insights, tells FoodIngredientsFirst. “But there is still an element of boldness when it comes to genuine novelty, with 45 percent of Gen Zs agreeing that ‘the crazier the flavor, the better’ – a much higher percentage than what is found among the over 45s and over 55s.”

Hybrid Flavors have been pegged by Innova Market Insights as a key theme emerging across NPD in 2020.Consumer appetite for taste discovery is not an entirely new driver of purchasing decision. The “Adventurous Consumer” trend was introduced by Innova Market Insights last year, with emphasis placed on a burgeoning demand for mashups of global flavors that offer a convenient way to sample cultural delights without having to leave the supermarket aisle.

Novel flavor formulation has expanded to encompass new dimensions in food and drink development this year, such that many of the market researcher’s Top 10 Trends for 2020 have a clear bearing on its evolution. For example, more detailed flavor descriptors and an emphasis on provenance reflect the No. 1 trend’s “Storytelling: Winning With Words” theme, while growing diversity in the produce and botanicals used in flavorings is part of the No. 2 trend “The Plant-Based Revolution.”

“Hello Hybrids” has also been pegged by Innova Market Insights as a leading topic of product development in 2020, with more and more flavors familiar in one category crossing over into others. In addition, special edition and seasonal flavors can help to invigorate brands and are a good way to test new tastes on the public, as evidenced by “Brand Unlimited”.

Bitter flavors are leveraged to tap into consumer health-halo perceptions.Bitter is big
Brands have been “greening up” their portfolios in order to attract the growing health-minded consumer group. This has seen “earthy” flavors spread across the industry with ingredients such as matcha, seaweed and mushroom. On the other hand, Innova Market Insights reveals that bitter flavors are also on trend as consumers seek to reduce sugar intake and increase consumption of green vegetables.

“Green juice is the poster child of a shift in taste of consumers. If you’re going to drink something green, you’re probably going to have to accept a bitter taste. If consumers continue to shift their taste and accept more bitter flavors, that will be a great opportunity to reduce the amount of sugar in products,” says Williams.

Flavors such as spinach, kale, celery and Brussels sprouts are increasingly in evidence across a whole range of food and beverage launches. Bitter-toned beverages are also on trend, with gins particularly popular over the past few years and now seeing further differentiation via a growing variation in flavors, colors and formats.

On the show floor of the recently culminated ISM 2020, held in Cologne, Germany, FoodIngredientsFirst spoke to Bertram Zehetbauer, Manager Sales & Marketing at Pit, about the expanding horizons for health-associated flavors. “We see beetroot as a new food trend in taste. It’s not very common to use in the sweets industry. However, we see it as having a lot of potential to reduce sugar and make products healthier. The taste is similar to cocoa powder – it has an earthy flavor,” he noted.

Younger generations continue to crave unfamiliar and authentic global flavors.Formulating unique taste experiences
It is little wonder that innovators continue to experiment with taste profiles and to use flavor as a valuable marketing tool. At ISM 2020, Love Cocoa – a brand spearheaded by James Cadbury, a direct Cadbury descendant – presented to FoodIngredientsFirst a range of premium products shooting for new flavors sought after by consumers, alongside maintaining the appeal of classics. 

“Premium products means special flavors and we have some of those, such as avocado chocolate and the birthday cake flavor that is a huge trend in the US. However, no one has really caught up with it in the UK yet. We are trying to innovate with new, interesting flavors beyond our classic ones, which are currently performing very well,” Cadbury concludes.

Within the rapidly expanding plant-based sphere, consumer appetite for adventurous flavors is pronounced. Primary research on US consumer behavior and attitudes toward additives in coffee released by Comax Flavors earlier this month, outlines robust demand for dairy alternatives boasting adventurous flavors and flavor hybrids such as “Vanilla Lemon,” “Dark Chocolate Orange,” and “Pecan Caramel.”

Younger generations continue to crave unfamiliar and authentic global flavors and share their discoveries on Instagram as well as other social media sites, Comax Flavors further notes in its 2020 Flavor Trends report. Attracted to unique flavors, alongside new colors and textures, consumers increasingly crave Asian cuisine-inspired NPD.

Looking ahead, Innova Market Insights underscores that flavor innovation will remain an essential part of food and drink NPD and key themes will include the diversification of authentic international flavors, further exploitation of the wider plant world, “permissible indulgence” in the health and wellness arena and ongoing hybridization. 

Meanwhile, sustainability and the sourcing of flavors, including the raw materials that go into them, will also become a more important issue and could well impact on future consumer choice as well as industry practice.

By Benjamin Ferrer