ANUGA: TRENDSPOTTING BY Q·CAPITAL VENTURES FOOD TEAM

The Anuga is the world’s biggest food & beverage fair, which took place from 7th to 11th October 2017. The Q·CAPITAL VENTURES food team was there to spot the next food trends:

High Protein
Protein was the most obvious trend we spotted at the Anuga. After the Low-Carb trend we see now more products enriched with proteins. Protein-based nutrition is said to be healthy and to support with reducing weight. Today high protein products are not anymore limited to meat and milk products. Highly requested are products with plant-based protein (seeds, pulses, algae, etc.). At the Anuga we have seen for instance pasta from lentil- and pea flour as well as protein drinks with chia seeds.

Organic
Organic evolved from niche to mainstream. The market for organic food is continuously growing. In 2015, for instance, European organic food sales were at EUR 29.8 billions – a plus of 13 % compared to 2014. In the next years organic food sales are said to grow by 7 % per year. By now also the big food players are banking on organic. Nestlé reported a massive extension of its organic product range in order to better serve consumer preferences.

Healthy Food
Undoubtedly, there is a strong trend towards healthy food. Consumers demand healthy food with natural ingredients without additives and sugar. At the Anuga the anti-sugar attitude was clearly visible: more and more natural sugar substitutes like Stevia are used to meet the consumer call.

Vegetarian / Vegan Alternatives
Some years ago one could find plant-based alternatives to meat and milk only in specialised organic food shops. In the meantime supermarkets and discounters offer a wide range of meat alternatives – an upward trend. The offer ranges from plant-based sausage to soya- and coco yoghurt, diverse veggie-burgers out of mushrooms or beans, till vegan tuna for pasta sauce, linseed schnitzel and vegan butter.

Functional Drinks
Within the drink category we see a clear trend towards functionality: proteins, vitamins (enhanced water, smoothies), detox and slimming are in. Additionally: low sugar and no-calorie sugar- alternatives are used. Taste-star was Matcha – we have seen the green tea powder in the form of energy drinks and capsules for the matcha-latte.

Snacking
Snacking is a trend – especially among Millennials. At the Anuga we have seen snacks focused on indulgence, with an exclusive and individual taste experience (e. g. potato crisps with black truffle or individually designed donuts). Contrariwise there was a strong emphasis on healthy-convenience products, for instance snacks out of nuts, fruits, superfoods, or cereal bars with no or low sugar. Above: high-protein snacks like grilled chicken breast to-go, low-fat hard cured sausage, protein crisps, curd cheese snacks are on the rise. Last but not least, also in the snack category we have seen more and more vegan convenience products, as for instance coco milk rice.

New tastes
At the Anuga we have seen a trend towards hot and spicy ingredients, especially towards ginger and chilli. Ginger is much more than the basis for ginger ale. At the Anuga it was sold as key-ingredient for healthy shots, for sugar free soda, or for jellies with orange and chia seeds. Chilli was part of many snacks, and also seen combined with beer or gin.