The enjoyment of an indulging food experience traces back to the ingredients used and its sources. Anneke van de Geijn, global marketing director, food & beverages, FrieslandCampina Ingredients, elaborates more on creating an all-round, multi-sensory experience for today’s consumers.
Experiences engaging all senses, conscious indulgence, and personalise it yourself conveniently – these are the three trends identified by FrieslandCampina Ingredients in its Trend Report 2019-2020. Themed “Tomorrow’s Menu”, the report gathered data and insights among others based upon FrieslandCampina Ingredients’ listening research, highlighting trends that are poised to drive the food and beverage businesses forward.
Beyond simply delicious taste, consumers are increasingly demanding a multi-sensory experience that engages all senses. In Asia, smell claimed the top spot for sensorial experience with nearly 60% of online and social media conversations around cake, ice-cream, latte and other drinks is about “good” smell, fragrance or aroma. This is followed by appearance at 21.7%, temperature at 9%, and mouthfeel at 7.5%.
Anneke van de Geijn, global marketing director, food & beverages, FrieslandCampina Ingredients, elaborated: “All three trends are already apparent in Asia, and food and drink products addressing these trends are already on the market in Asia. Experiences engaging all senses is seen, for example, in the Red Velvet Latte, where the taste of ‘red velvet cake’ has been transferred to a drink. The different texture of coffee versus a cake gives it a new sensorial experience.”
In Asia, sustainable consumption is about “fresh and natural aspects” and “healthier products”, according to the report, with around 40% of the conversations around sustainable food and drinks consumption referred to how fresh and natural products should be, and how products should help consumers stay healthy.
And in a modern world with so much freedom of choice, consumers are now able to expand and personalise their choices accordingly to their needs. These consumers look for products that can be adapted to their personal ideas, taste preferences and nutritional needs and wants. Through personalisation, consumers are given the opportunity to add their personal finishing touches to their food and beverages, and this is particularly popular among the younger generation.
She explained: “Conscious indulgence can be seen in hi-dairy coffees bought by consumers preferring the health benefits of dairy. The convenient personalisation trend is seen in teas, fruit drinks and coffees with versatile milk caps topped off with countless toppings.”
To find out more about the driving force behind the three trends, and how engagement and localisation contributes to FrieslandCampina Ingredients’ success in Asia, click here to read the full article in our Food & Beverage Asia Dec 2019/Jan 2020 issue.
