Poultry businesses, and others, need to go beyond trends such as sustainability and move towards actions that protect nature on a broader scale, according to market intelligence company Innova Market Insights.
What Innova terms Nurturing Nature, is the second most import consumer trend to emerge in its Top Ten Food and Drink Trends 2024.
The company says that consumer concerns about the planet have overtaken their concerns about the population. They are worried about the climate and have greater awareness of the climate crisis, it continues. They are interested in farming conditions for livestock, regenerative agriculture, and brands that highlight their bonds with the environment.
When Innova asked consumers what they would like to see most from brands and companies towards helping environmental and social causes, consumers named nature protection first, followed by sustainable packaging and improving waste management.
The company notes that data from product launches over a recent three-year period showed that brands and companies are expanding their efforts into areas beyond sustainability, such as forest protection and reduced water use. They also are increasingly using on-pack labelling to communicate their environmental initiatives.
Whisper it from the rooftops
While nobody will know that you are doing good if you don’t talk about it, you may want to spread the word with a degree of caution, as the tenth trend identified by Innova has been named Minimizing Noise.
Consumers, it says, are seeking out simple, open, and honest communication that can be trusted. Nearly two-thirds of consumers surveyed globally said that would like to see straightforward communication about companies’ efforts in sustainability on pack. They are wary, however, of greenwashing, and have trouble identifying when companies are greenwashing their claims.
The top trend for 2024
Fitting for the top trend, Innova has named it Taking the Spotlight, i.e. calling attention to ingredients and how consumers respond to them. One-third of consumers surveyed globally by Innova said that they always look at ingredients of interests on product packs.
In good news for poultry and other protein producers, 42% of consumers said that protein was the most important ingredient. In further good news, consumers, Innova says, prefer to get their protein from natural protein food sources, such as meat and eggs. It adds, however, that where products that are fortified with protein are concerned, those that are fortified with plant-based protein are the fastest growing.
