07 Feb 2018 --- Givaudan has announced new developments enhancing its industry-leading trends program, FlavourVision, coinciding with its 10th anniversary. The new FlavourVision edition reveals seven key consumer trends from Crafted Identities to Risk Aware and Human Connection. These trends are brought to life with over 250 market examples including a fresh take on how health, identity, and enjoyment are translated into eating experiences.

The key trends are as follows:Click to Enlarge

• Crafted Identities: As technology, social media, and globalization widen their reach, people are willing to defy traditional definitions of identity and embrace more complex, fluid expressions of self beyond gender, race, and ethnicity. This translates into food choices driven by social causes/values; novelty, exotic flavors and flavor fusions, and food experiences worth sharing socially.
   
• Layered Wellness: People are leveraging heritage and high-tech solutions to address not only the physical, but also the mental, emotional, social, and spiritual aspects of wellbeing. The increasing quantification of health is enabling more proactive wellness measures and driving consumer demand for functional foods, "better for you" products and pure and simple ingredients lists.
   
• Human Connection: People are craving community and human connection even as they become more mobile and independent. Companies are responding by celebrating cultural heritage, craftsmanship, and provenance. This is translating into a demand for authentic flavors and cooking methods, food with a provenance or connected to a specific culture and sustainable and ethically sourced products.
   
• Tailored expectations: Finding scale across niche opportunities is the new challenge in this world. It is easier than ever for consumers to find products and services to meet their unique needs. Advances in technology will allow consumers to quantify and communicate their needs, permitting trusted brands to provide the most relevant solutions. This trend links to high levels of diversification and niche food and drink products alongside personalized nutrition.
   
• DelightFULL: With a sense of global uncertainty and the pressures of modern life, consumers are seeking moments of escape and meaningful indulgence, whether that’s a decadent dessert or a novel, shareable brand experience. This is translating into demand for multi-sensory eating experiences, indulgent ingredients and exotic tastes.
   
• Risk Aware: A constant barrage of conflicting information on health, global security, and the environment has left people feeling anxious and unsure of whom to trust. Consumers crave transparent, authentic communication from brands to be sure they’re making the right choice for themselves and their families. This is leading to increased interest in natural, organic and sustainable food, transparent labeling and minimally processed foods.  
   
• Augmented Self: As consumers seek self-improvement they are increasingly open to experimenting, from ancient Ayurvedic remedies to emerging high-tech solutions. As sensing technologies and genomics advance, people will have access to more tools to meet their unique needs. This trend is leading consumers to seek out functional and fortified foods with physical, emotional and cognitive benefits.

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