Easy eats: Shifting consumer eating habits drive NPD in snacking and quick meals

18 Dec 2019 --- Convenience in consumption is now a buzzword that resonates across all categories of the food and beverage market. Over the last year, on-the-go formats have proliferated in NPD, with nutritionally boosted offerings garnering the most attention. Research has revealed a pronounced shift in eating patterns, as consumers are dedicating less and less time to meal occasions. FoodIngredientsFirst speaks to leading industry players to examine how manufacturers are tapping into the appetites of time-starved consumers who seek to complement busy lifestyles with the appropriate diet.

“Consumers around the world are leading increasingly busy lifestyles, with many people spending less time on meals than they used to. For example, half of respondents to DSM’s breakfast consumer insights survey stated that they spend less than 15 minutes a day on their breakfast. One in four people questioned also spends less than five minutes on their first meal of the day. Ready-to-eat dairy products, such as yogurt, which can be consumed on-the-go are therefore gaining traction,” says Ingrid Damen, Business Manager Biopreservation, DSM Food Specialties.

The on-the-go snacking trend presents new opportunities for nutritionally fortified product formulations.

The rise in a so-called “fourth meal” culture has increased demand for quick and convenient yet healthy solutions for busy consumers. This is creating opportunities for wholesome, satisfying and sustaining snacks to fulfill the role of mini meals and play a more meaningful role in contributing to refueling and nutritional needs throughout the day. According to data from Innova Market Insights, there has been a 14 percent average annual growth in food and beverage launches with a snacking claim (Global, CAGR 2014 to 2018).

Parallel to the fourth meal culture trend, people are increasingly taking a proactive approach toward their health and wellbeing, with many people growing more conscious of what is in the products they consume. Growth of the clean label movement in line with shifting consumption patterns is fueling the trend of dairy goods with short, recognizable ingredients lists becoming more popular with consumers. “For instance, 20 percent of global yogurt launches  carry free-from claims, such as ‘no additives’ or ‘no artificial preservatives’. This means our new yogurt concept is on trend as it features three components only – milk, sugar and cultures,” highlights Damen.

On-the-go dairy products, such as ambient yogurt, are making waves among consumers thanks to their convenient format. Created to be consumed anytime and anywhere, these applications must meet the highest quality, food safety and flavor standards, while also staying fresh for as long as possible, even when left outside the refrigerator. To meet this demand, DSM has developed a natural, clean label probiotic yogurt prototype with a creamy texture and mild taste profile, using its DelvoFresh YS-140, DelvoPro Bif-6 and DelvoGuard protective cultures. 

DSM’s three cultures work synergistically. DelvoPro Bif-6 helps to enhance the health appeal of dairy products, DelvoFresh YS-140 – a high-performance culture – enables a fast fermentation process and limited post-acidification at 5°C to maintain a mild taste and creamy texture during a product’s shelf life, and DelvoGuard contributes to an improved shelf life.

Innova Market Insights has pegged “The Right Bite” as among its Top Ten Trends for 2020. Stress and anxiety are key concerns in modern life as consumers manage careers, families and social lives while striving to maintain healthy lifestyles, both physically and mentally. Responses to this vary, although the majority of consumers aim to balance the benefits and costs of busy lifestyles. This, in turn, raises the demand for nutritious foods that are easy to prepare, convenient and portable. Indulgent treats play a role in relaxation and enjoyment.

A resurgence in frozen foodsThe frozen foods category is seeing a resurgence with thanks to the rising demand for convenient meals.
At the epitome of convenient consumption, the frozen foods category is enjoying a resurgence. According to Innova Market Insights data, 25 percent growth was observed in frozen ready meal launches tracked globally between 2017 and 2018. Buoyancy in this segment is notably sustained by busy consumer lifestyles and increasing demand for healthier, preservative-free options.

In September, UK retailer Iceland unveiled 550 new and improved products as part of an update of its own label frozen ranges. The revamp has been prompted by “unrivaled growth” in the frozen category which has seen an increase in popularity recently as consumers seek out convenient and healthy options. Iceland says this is the biggest shake-up in its own-brand history and the overhaul follows months of market trends, social media and sales analysis as the supermarket looks to create the UK’s first own-label range driven directly by customer feedback.

 “In response to the increase in demand for frozen food we are proud to be launching our biggest ever range of new and improved own label products and giving customers even more of what they want,” says Andrew Staniland, Director of Frozen at Iceland. “We undertook an intensive research project, analyzing our customer feedback and reviewing our product recipes to challenge each one, and we’re confident that our new recipes and products will respond to customer trends.” 

Convenient meal kits have been spotlighted as having a lower environmental footprint, compared to conventional meal prepation. Meal kits bring convenience to home cooking 
Meal kit services, which deliver a box of pre-portioned ingredients and a chef-selected recipe to consumers’ doors, have earned a bad environmental reputation due to perceived packaging waste. Contrarily, a new study from the University of Michigan has revealed that in addition to enabling convenience in home cooked meals, meal kits do in fact have a “much lower overall carbon footprint” than ingredients for the same meals purchased at a grocery store, despite using more packaging material. Findings of the study were published in the journal Resources, Conservation and Recycling.

UK recipe box company Gousto has seen a year-on-year growth of 70 percent and currently serves two million meals each month, while reporting that the UK recipe box market is expected to exceed £1.5 billion (US$1.9 billion) by 2022. Gousto stands out with its use of fully automated production, which is powered by data science. The addition of 140 technology employees by 2022 will build on its current 80-strong London-based team. The company will also continue to invest in automation to enable more orders to be made via AI.

“In the busiest of worlds, consumer shopping behaviors are rapidly changing. People increasingly have less time for the ‘big shop,’ but still want to cook differing, quality meals and maintain a healthy, balanced diet,” says Timo Boldt, CEO and Founder of Gousto.

Meanwhile, in the US, multinational retail corporation Walmart and media platform BuzzFeed’s “Tasty” division have partnered to offer consumers “shoppable recipes.” The retailer invites shoppers to add the entire ingredient list from items on a menu of 4,000 Tasty cooking videos directly to their Walmart Online Grocery carts with one click. From there, they can place their order for pickup or have the groceries delivered to their homes from stores across the US.

The new partnership has developed a digital grocery experience for Tasty iOS app users, allowing quick access to ingredients for more than 4,000 recipes. From the Tasty app, users are directed to the Walmart Grocery app or Walmart’s online shopping platform, where they can view what is in their cart, purchase the ingredients and schedule their groceries for either curbside pickup at a local Walmart or at-home delivery. Orders can be picked up or delivered within the same day.

“Finding that perfect recipe, creating a grocery list and finally getting to the store can keep any chef out of the kitchen. We’re excited to create a fun solution that feeds customers appetites to put time back in their busy schedules,” concludes Janey Whiteside, Chief Customer Officer of Walmart. 

By Benjamin Ferrer