Food Processing - August 2008 - (Page 62)

To o p s s co o p s By Diane Toops, News & Trends Editor Health is the New Wealth Tap into trends to better communicate with consumers. c onverging trends have given birth to the Age of Wellbeing, according to New York City-based Ketchum, one of the largest public relations, marketing and corporate relations firms in the world. Ketchum’s “Health, Wellness and Nutrition Global Trends Forecast for 2008 and Beyond,” based on a variety of global internal and external sources, was developed by Cathy Kapica, the firm’s vice president of global health and wellness, and Linda Eatherton, partner/director of the global food and nutrition practice. HeAltH comes oF Age 1980 to 1990 1990 to 2000 2000 to 2010+ The Manufacturing Age the technology/information Age The Age of Well-being Both have interesting food industry backgrounds. Kapica, a registered dietitian and Ph.D. of public health sciences, was director of global nutrition for McDonald’s and director of nutrition education at Quaker Oats. Eatherton was formerly with Kraft Foods and Dairy Management Inc. Kapica kindly shared the findings with us during IFT. They can be used as a guide to market new products and communicate effectively with consumers. Factors leading to the Age of Well-being include: the global rise in obesity rates; rising healthcare costs; an aging, affluent population; growing interest in prevention vs. treatment; emerging technologies and scientific advances; and the increasing availability of “responsible” foods (such as portioncontrolled, reduced-fat, reduced-salt and reduced-sugar). Ready access to information combined with empowered consumers will continue to drive health and wellness. You need only look at consumers’ growing interest in organic, natural, functional and superfoods, as well as prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics and fortification. According to Kapica, the new definition of wellness is broader than it used to be. It includes not only being healthy, but feeling healthy, having less stress, eating right and having time for oneself. And the specifics are being defined differently by ethnicity and life stage. Sustainability also has been redefined from responsible farmto-fork food cultivation processes. Consumers want to know 62 • Food Processing August 2008 how a product came to market and how the company treats its employees, suppliers and the environment. And they want the same information about suppliers to the food industry. Organic continues to grow in Europe, led by Germany, France and the UK. It is also growing in North America and parts of Asia. But recent food safety concerns have led consumers to question the strength of organic certification standards. Clean label foods is the mantra. Consumers demand short ingredient statements they can understand, rather than stabilizers, gums, additives, substitutes and chemicals. Less is also more appealing in a desire for foods that are “free from.” Those include gluten-free, lactose-free and animal-free. More value in value-added is key. Fortification is changing its focus from overcoming deficiency to enhancing performance, both cognitive and physical. Notable ingredients include calcium, vitamin D, vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids and probiotics. Due to the prevalence of obesity-related diseases, foods and diets with risk-reduction benefits will continue to gain interest. Fiber and whole grains also add value. Sweeteners, unless found in nature (honey, fruit) are questioned. High-fructose corn syrup is suspect. Concern about metabolic syndrome and diabetes is driving interest in the glycemic index and the use of sugar, especially in Europe. The holistically healthy brand emerges as the company is viewed as part of the wellness solution instead of part of the health problems. These are processors that invest in innovation and reformulation, value workplace wellness and have a heritage of social and environmental policies and practices. E-mail: dtoops@putman.net The nine trends identified in the report are discussed in detail at www.Foodprocessing.com/KetchumTrends. Just typing the word “trends” into our search bar will get you 765 results; better to focus. And don’t forget to read and blog with Diane every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at www.Foodprocessing.com/toopsblog. FoodProcessing.com More on the Web http://www.FoodProcessing.com/KetchumTrends http://www.FoodProcessing.com/toopsblog http://www.FoodProcessing.com/toopsblog http://foodprocessing.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Food Processing - August 2008

Food Processing - August 2008 Contents Editor’s Plate NewsBites Special Report Rollout Food Biz Kids The Top 100 Ingredients Show Report Plant Operations MRO Q&A Case History New Supplier Products Toops Scoops

Food Processing - August 2008

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