food

Holistic Health Awareness To Lead 2011 Food Trends

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Twenty-eleven will mark the year that Americans begin making permanent, holistic changes in their diets and buying foods generally rich in nutrition, as opposed to focusing on single nutrients, predicts "supermarket guru" Phil Lempert.

The shift will be driven by the updated USDA dietary guidelines, the First Lady's "Let's Move" anti-obesity initiative, and technology and labeling developments that empower consumers with readily accessible, user-friendly nutrition information, says Lempert, who works with ConAgra Foods and its retailers to forecast food industry trends. ConAgra released Lempert's latest annual industry predictions.

On the claims front, consumers will benefit from food brands' initiatives to provide simplified and more meaningful nutrition labeling -- including a major change in the produce segment, where producers will begin attaching stickers to fruits and vegetables that call out key vitamins, minerals and fiber content, Lempert says.

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Another key trend will be expansion of consumers' use of mobile apps to "every point in the grocery store," he forecasts. Tech use will range from data-targeted instant messaging of specials by retailers and food makers to the ability to self-scan label barcodes for detailed nutrition information, to mobile devices that generate coupon downloading at self-checkouts, to frequent shopper bonuses automatically deducted from the totals on shoppers' checking accounts. (In restaurants, the next generation of apps will allow visitors to pre-order from menus.)

The year will also have an increased emphasis on promoting Vitamin D content in foods and beverages in general, and dairy items in particular (white milk will be "in," flavored milks "out"), in response to research emphasizing deficiencies in this vitamin in Americans' diets.

Other trends will include the growing influence of regional tastes and culture in retailer offerings as consumers and retailers show growing awareness of the ecological and nutrition benefits of local sourcing; a major retailer focus on promoting the Gulf Region's seafood offerings, reflecting and supporting the region's recovery from the oil spill crisis; and a food/beverage brand emphasis on using in-store sampling to test new products before they are rolled out. The increase in sampling research reflects brands'need to control new product failure rates in light of the impact of the economy, the rise of store brands and the cost of R&D, Lempert reports.

 

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