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Mintel, the world’s leading market intelligence agency,has released the Global Food and Drink Trends for 2021. The findings and recommendations will be discussed in depth at Gulfood, on Tuesday 23^rd February at 1.40pm from the Innovation Summit stage, where Dr James Wilson, Mintel’s Middle East Business Development Manager, will address attendees.

The three key trends for the global food, drink, and food service industries centre around the ‘now’ (next 12 months), the ‘next’ (18 months+), and the ‘future’ (five+ years) of consumer behaviour:

• Feed The Mind: Innovative food and drink formulations will offer solutions for mental and emotional wellbeing that will create a new foundation for healthy eating.
• Quality Redefined: Brands will be challenged to respond to new definitions of trust, quality, and ‘essential’.
• United By Food: Food and drink brands can balance a person’s need to feel unique and special with the desire to be part of communities of like-minded individuals.

The new 2021 forecasts are embedded within Mintel’s Seven Trend Drivers: Wellbeing, Rights, Value, Identity, Experiences, Surroundings, and Technology. They also take into account the changes that have been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic – the subtle yet profound shifts in consumer thinking and responses from brands – and attempt to encapsulate the better future that consumers, globally, aspire to, and toward which brands can build their own strategic visions.

The shifts in food and drink consumer behaviour identified by Mintel relate to Wellbeing, Value, and Identity and will inspire formulation, packaging, marketing, and more in the years to come.

Feed The Mind

In 2021 and beyond, food, drink, and foodservice brands will offer moments of respite through product rituals and formulations that enhance stress relief activities. As the singular focus of avoiding COVID-19 fades, people will make more serious commitments to reduce the health risks associated with unhealthy eating, become more interested in mindful and intuitive eating, and seek proof and incentives through the use of technology.

“Consumers are taking the concept of wellbeing further and will look to food and drink concepts that go beyond physical health. This will become increasingly important as the full effects of lockdowns, quarantines and prolonged periods of isolation on consumers’ mental and emotional wellbeing become clearer. We predict that innovative food and drink formulations will help people learn how diet can impact mental and emotional health, which will lead to new interest in psychology-based approaches to healthy eating to help them maintain a healthy mind as well as body,” commented Dr Wilson, Business Development Manager, Middle East, Mintel.

Quality Redefined

Consumers will be looking for approachable upscale meals for special ‘hometainment’ occasions. Brands and retailers are expected to launch appropriately priced products with ethical or environmental claims, while consumers will increase their expectations for contactless retail that will expand to include experiential services. Over the next five years and beyond, brands and operators that invest in seamless retail and equitable access to healthy food will come out on top.

“When it comes to value, pandemic-shocked consumers are seeking a return to what is essential. Consumers are now focused on minimal consumption and getting the best returns from their purchases,” added James.

“As life returns to normal, consumers will increasingly expect convenient, safe and adventurous options from food, drink, and foodservice providers. Brands will therefore be challenged to respond to how consumers have redefined quality and ensure greater accessibility across both on- and off-line channels. This will see a focus on getting the best value for one’s money and more transparency about the ingredients, processes, and people that are reflected in a product’s price.”

United By Food

In the next 12 months, food, drink, and foodservice companies will encourage people to use their brands as a form of self-expression and a way to reconnect with their pre-pandemic identities. Social commerce is expected to develop as a new way for brands to capitalise on building communities that will, in turn, give brands actionable ways to give back and use their resources, reputation, and reach to help consumers take action on important causes.

“With measures such as social distancing and lockdowns having been with us now for almost a year, and having seen fundamental changes in how humans interact with one another, consumers recognise the importance of connection and support. There are opportunities for food, drink and foodservice brands to take advantage of their positions as common interests and passions to which consumers can tie their identities and actively bring people together during difficult and uncertain times,” James concluded.

As experts in what consumers want and why, Mintel is uniquely suited to predict the future of consumer behaviour and what that means for brands. Now in its 49^th year, the consumer research was commissioned, and trends were identified, by a global team of Mintel Food & Drink’s expert analysts. 

Dr Wilson will be discussing the implications of the 2021 Global Food and Drink Trends on the Middle East market at Gulfood on Tuesday 23^rd February. The session will help delegates to understand the importance of these trends and how they can be applied to appeal to the diverse multinational population of the region. It will also explore the opportunities for food and beverage companies in the Middle East to create mental and emotional wellbeing solutions and deliver the new value needs being demanded by consumers.

Learn more about Mintel’s 2021 Global Consumer Trends here and the Global Household Care Trends here, and join Dr James Wilson from Mintel Middle East at Gulfood on Tuesday 23^rd February at the Innovation Summit stage.