Puratos Reveals Top Consumer Food Concerns

29 Oct 2015 --- The self-empowerment of consumers has become an established and irreversible fact. They want to be in control of what they are consuming based upon 3 key criteria: freshness, health and taste. This is the general conclusion of an independent study carried out for Puratos among 11.000 consumers in 25 countries to demonstrate emerging consumer trends in the baked goods industry and to stimulate innovation in the bakery, patisserie and chocolate sectors.

We live in the age of abundance. Across the globe people expect food to become more available in more varieties. Baked goods will have to meet their daily needs and fit conveniently into their lifestyles. In Europe for example, 55% of consumers expect greater variety to be offered by food, whilst 60% in the US and 65% in Asia await more versatility in their food.

However, food is also under pressure. Consumers fear that food in the future will be less healthy, less fresh and less natural. As far as food quality is concerned, Europeans are the most worried: only 25% of them expect food to be of higher quality in the future, against 33% in America and 38% in Asia.

Pascale Jantcheff, Puratos Group Marketing Services Director: “Consumers appear to be more concerned about the future of food and have grown somewhat fearful of what will become of the food offering regarding quality, freshness and healthiness. Yet 43% of Europeans, 43% of Americans and 49% of Asians believe that food quality will remain the same for the next ten years, which shows that the future of food is not all bleak. In parallel to this, the Taste Tomorrow survey points out that consumers’ expectations are rising, which will have an impact on their buying behaviour and eating habits. Industries will need to keep that in mind and strive to offer the right product, at the right time and place in order to fulfil consumers’ daily needs.”

Additionally, consumers are being bombarded by all kinds of messages about what is and is not good for them. The amount of information is confusing and leads to the creation of food myths amongst consumers. For instance, 40% of Europeans, 42% of Asians and 45% of Americans believe that gluten can cause digestive problems for the majority of consumers. This figure is in strong contrast with scientific research that estimates the proportion of the population suffering from gluten related disorders to be in the 6-10% range. (F.J.P.H. Brouns et al. / Journal of Cereal Science 58 (2013) 209-215)

Pascale Jantcheff: “Transparency and authenticity play a key role in the sourcing, development and production process of food products. There is an opportunity and a role for the industry to communicate and act in a clear way to compensate for the limited amount of consumer trust we observe today.”

In terms of sustainability, consumers think about sustainability from their own perspective. Food waste, for example, is problematic for the planet but, from the consumer’s perspective, the greater problem is the waste of money that throwing away food entails. When it comes to food sustainability, 32% of Europeans, 34% of Americans and 34% of Asians expect food to be more sustainable in the future.

Pascale Jantcheff: “Taste Tomorrow offers in-depth insights into global and local consumer behaviour, attitudes, choices and emerging trends in the baked goods sector. Puratos’ goal is to provide our customers actionable information that will inspire them to optimise their product innovation and development to current and future consumer needs."