Milling & Baking News - July 12, 2022 - 16

TUES | 07 12 202 2
Editor highlights four key food
trends at BEMA 2022
SAN DIEGO - There's been a growing
shift in how consumers are eating today,
highlighted by a flurry of new and inventive
startups disrupting the food industry.
" Increasing access to capital and lower
barriers to entry have triggered profound
change in the industry, " said Monica
Watrous, managing editor of Food Business
News and editor of Food Entrepreneur.
" All eyes are on the entrepreneurs
and the disruption they're bringing to
market. "
At BEMA Convention 2022, held June
22-25, Ms. Watrous detailed four key trends
driving this new product development
across the food and beverage landscape. A
summary of her comments follow:
FOOD AS MEDICINE
Consumer interest in better-for-you
foods is stronger than ever, posing a
significant market opportunity. Globally,
functional and fortified food sales
reached $292 billion, including $83 billion
in the United States in 2021.
" The pandemic has fueled consumer
interest in products promising a range
of health benefits, from immunity support
to stress relief, and two-fifths of
consumers say they bought more functional
foods last year than in 2020, " Ms.
Watrous said.
Ingredients like adaptogens, believed
to regulate the body's response to
physical or emotional distress, as well
as nootropics, marketed as improving
cognitive function, are gaining traction.
Deux, Los Angeles, is a brand of vegan,
gluten-free cookie dough enhanced with
nutrients targeting immune support,
stress relief and more.
Products promoting digestive health
also are taking off. BelliWelli, Los
Angeles, offers plant-based, gluten-free
digestive health bars aimed at the millions
of Americans suffering from irritable-bowel
syndrome.
Meanwhile, Jersey City, NJ-based Dalci
serves a line of gut-friendly dessert bars
formulated with anti-inflammatory
16
MILLING & BAKING NEWS
ingredients such as avocado oil, coconut
sugar and almond flour.
ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS
Consumers increasingly are interested
in brands that support the environment.
Nearly two-in-five Americans said environmental
sustainability impacts their decision
to buy certain foods or beverages, up from
just 27% three years ago. And 52% of Americans
believe their food and beverage purchases
have an impact on the environment.
Food waste is a concern for nearly 60%
of Americans, and a growing number of
brands are combatting this waste. Renewal
Mill, Oakland, Calif., transforms pulpy
leftovers of oat and soy milk production
into a gluten-free okara flour that boosts
the fiber and protein content in a variety of
cookies, tortillas, baby food and more.
Carbon-neutral snacks also are expected
to gain prominence as consumers look to
minimize their carbon footprint.
Moonshot Snacks, San Francisco, is a climate-friendly
cracker brand that sources
its ingredients, such as organic wheat and
sunflower oil, as close to the farmer as possible
and emphasizes regenerative agricultural
practices in its supply chain.
And Airly Foods, part of Post Holdings'
subsidiary Bright Future Foods,
St. Louis, last year debuted Airly Oat
Clouds, made with oats grown on carbon-converting
farms. Each box of Airly
Oat Clouds removes 18 to 19 grams of CO2
from the air, the company claims, equivalent
to 2,500 beach balls.
NEW TWISTS ON STAPLES
More than half of Americans are following
a diet or eating pattern, up from
39% last year. Two-in-five consumers also
bought foods with allergen-labeling in the
last year, with 80% saying they bought the
products because of this labeling.
In addition to allergen-friendly, some of
the most popular claims among consumers
include low sugar and low sodium, high
fiber and high protein, and grain free.
Snow Days, Austin, Texas, is a brand of
Watrous
organic, grain-free pizza bites made with
a cassava flour-based crust, aimed to rival
Minneapolis-based General Mill's Totino's
Pizza Rolls. Three Wishes Cereal, New
York City, is one of a growing number
of better-for-you cereals startups. The
company's products are grain-free, low
in sugar and formulated with chickpea,
pea protein and tapioca. And Blake's Seed
Based, Chicago, offers seed-based snack
bars free of the top eight food allergens.
CULTURAL EXPLORATION
The United States is diversifying
quickly, and 40% of Americans now
identify as a racial or ethnic minority.
The buying power of these multicultural
consumers is expanding as well. By
2024, Asian American buying power is
expected to hit $1.6 trillion, according
to Nielsen, and by 2023 buying power
of Latin Americans in the United States
is expected to top $1.9 trillion. Multicultural
shoppers are also significantly
more likely to buy natural and organic
foods than the general population.
" Emerging brand founders are set
on expanding representation on retail
shelves and building a more equitable
food system, " Ms. Watrous said. " Several
startup founders that I've met have
described feeling excluded or misrepresented
in conventional food marketing or
retail settings, and they launched their
business in an effort to banish stereotypes
associated with their culture and cuisine. "
Fly By Jing, Los Angeles, is a line of
chef-crafted pantry staples and appetizers
inspired by the founder, Jing Gao, and
the flavors of her hometown of Chengdu,
China. Ting's, San Francisco, offers jackfruit
chips inspired by founder Tiffany
Wang's favorite snack when she lived in
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