Yesterday we went along to Food Matters Live at London’s ExCel Centre, to explore the latest trends and innovation in food, health and nutrition.
The exhibition brought together 800 organisations, from start-ups to established brands across retail, food-service and manufacturing. Having so many innovators in one place gave us the perfect opportunity to hear first-hand about all that is new in the world of food and wellness!
Here are some of the key insights that we took away:
- Indulgence, wellness, convenience and ethics are key influencing factors in consumer purchasing decisions
- In retail, consumers are increasingly looking for convenient yet healthy food choices to suit their hectic lifestyles
- “The ‘Free From’ market is forecast to grow to £640m by 2020” (David Street, Knighton Foods)
- 3.3 is the average number of food preferences that the average consumer has. Examples may include veganism, gluten intolerance and kosher. Suppliers should ensure they are providing consumers with the choice that they need
- “Younger generations are more willing to pay a premium when it comes to food” (Rachel Cheatham, Foodscape)
- Sugar will remain a target for both policymakers and consumers, with ‘added’ or ‘free’ sugars taking centre stage, especially in the snacking sector
What are your thoughts? Do you agree that food brands should cater to the increasingly complex demands of consumers, or are these just fads?