"FOOD 2020: THE FUTURE OF FOOD, NUTRITION & WELLNESS
Health is the New Wealth:
A Look Back at Our Forecasts
In October 2007, Ketchum’s Global Food Practice published Health is the New Wealth, a forecast of global food trends for 2008 and beyond. Over the past year, we’ve watched some of those trends begin to take shape. Through our Food 2020 study in particular, we noticed four trends that were evident among the consumers we surveyed. Here are excerpts about those four trends from the original forecast.
Consumers want real food, clean labels, issue-free. The desire for natural vs. processed foods and ingredients is rising around the world. Consumers are demanding short ingredient statements with familiar and natural names—clean labels. Stabilizers, gums, additives, substitutes and chemicals are causing consumers to put the product back on the shelf . . . no matter how convenient it might be. The U.K. is leading the way towards additive-free (called E numbers) ingredients. There is also an increasing desire for foods that are “free” from perceived negative components, such as gluten-free, lactose-free and animal-free (vegetarian/vegan). This is least prevalent in Asia, however. Interestingly, genetic modification is being seen as an acceptable route to “breed out” the allergens from the food supply.
Standardized global labeling guidelines emerge. Global food safety and health concerns are driving standardized labeling guidelines. Expect Country of Origin Labels (COOL) on all foods and for each ingredient in processed food. Company-developed labeling symbols and signposts are gaining momentum. Controversy will continue over the best format for communicating nutrition information on packaging, especially throughout the European Union and North America. Legislation is not far behind. As organic interests and demands rise, expect international certifications to emerge that, in some countries, will be more rigid than current guidelines.
Health claim changes may lead to healthy confusion. In Europe, there is reassessment of food additives (E numbers), which will lead to communication challenges, especially about natural ingredients. New health claim regulations may make the approval of new claims challenging. And functional foods are being defined. While some Asian countries, such as Japan, have well-defined rules for functional foods, other Asian countries are in the very early stages of regulatory oversight for food and beverages in this category. Effectiveness of U.S. health claim regulations is being questioned.
Consumers track carbon footprint and food miles. As concerns of global warming rise and commitments to reverse the tide take hold, expect several countries to call for declarations of a product’s carbon footprint on the label. A carbon footprint is the total number of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emitted over the full life cycle of a product or service. Heightened desires to reduce carbon fuel emissions are driving consumers to demand the “food miles” a product and all its ingredients have traveled. Food miles is a term that refers to the distance food travels from the time of its production until it reaches the consumer. The less local, the less desirable—a serious implication for foods produced out of country or out of region. Many retailers are leaping ahead of regulation and requiring these declarations now.
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