Mintel – experts in what consumers want and why – named four trends that will shape global food and beverage industries in 2023, over the next five years and beyond.
Centered around space, climate change, mental performance and the overwhelmed consumer, this year’s trends make recommendations for brands to reassure consumers who continue to be challenged to adapt to a precarious world.
Looking ahead, Jenny Zegler, director of Mintel Food & Drink and Mintel Global Consumer, shared how companies and brands will adjust, diversify and innovate to reassure anxious consumers in the years to come.
Mintel’s Four Global F&B Trends for 2023
Mintel’s four key trends for the New Year include:
1. Staying Sharp - Consumers are demanding formulations that help them optimize their mental performance at work, home and play. Of course, many tea companies are already capitalizing on this trend with products like Twinings’ Adaptogens Focus.
2. Weatherproofed Provisions – Consumers are in need of food and drink formulations that help them endure heat waves, sub-zero temperatures and disastrous weather events.
3. Minimalist Messaging – Clear and simple communication will be essential to connect with fatigued consumers in 2023 and beyond.
4. Cosmic Comforts – As Earth endures more chaos, space will become a source of optimism, innovation and connection.
A LOOK AT THE KEY F&B TRENDS FOR 2023
Staying Sharp
Zegler said focus and productivity are the next mental and emotional wellbeing functionalities that consumers will be seeking.
“Consumers will look for food and drink that influence cognitive capacity, manage stress levels and optimise brain function,” Zegler noted. “Expect to see brands promoting the brain boosts available from familiar energizing ingredients, such as plant-based ingredients like fruits, vegetables and legumes and caffeine – in moderation. But research will be needed to prove to consumers that the range of natural and functional ingredients from B vitamins to nootropics deliver on their cognitive health promises. New research and patents related to the gut-brain axis will create opportunities to highlight how the digestive health benefits of pro-, pre- and post-biotics support cognitive health. These science-backed advancements will enable fiber-rich foods such as produce to shine.”
Weatherproofed Provisions
Zegler pointed out that adaption and resourcefulness will be the name of the game as brands innovate to help consumers deal with the harsh effects of the planet’s more dangerous weather.
“From polar vortexes to heat waves, consumers will look for products that help their bodies withstand the varying temperature extremes,” explained Zegler. “Food and drink innovations also will be called upon to deliver easy-to-use nutrition during catastrophic floods and other weather-related disasters. Meanwhile, the genuine demand for energy savings in 2023 will drive a new found appreciation for the benefits of having energy-efficient food and drink on hand during extreme weather. Stronger UV rays will create demand for functional food and drink with skin health benefits, while shelf-stable formats will prove to be life-savers as brands face up to the reality of supply chain issues.”
According to Zegler, beyond mainstream needs, brands will innovate emergency food and drink for special diets, children and the elderly in 2023.
Minimalist Messaging
When it comes to brands communicating with customers, clarity and simplicity will prove to be a winning formula, per Zegler.
“Communication will be streamlined to the essential selling points as consumers seek brands that focus on their advantages on pack – and save story-telling for websites, social media and marketing,” shared Zegler. “Products with clean designs that highlight natural ingredients and key health benefits will satisfy shoppers who are looking to escape information overload.”
Zegler said that over the next decade, expect to see consumers rely on more virtual solutions to inspire, educate and affirm their purchases.“Brands will share information on eCommerce sites to ensure their stories and benefits reach consumers who rely on their smart assistants, smart refrigerators or, eventually curated shops in the metaverse to filter out items that do not meet their pre-set preferences,” she said.
Cosmic Comforts
Consider this “far out” and up-and-coming trend.
“In the not-too-distant future, space will become less whimsical and more tangible,” revealed Zegler. “Centering around escapism, the food and drink market will take inspiration from space-inspired technologies and earthly innovations from space travel findings – think lunar minerals and zero-gravity dining.”
Zegler added: The undiscovered novelty of outer space will have a particularly unsullied charm for Gen Z, who are disillusioned with the world as it is, but brands should also consider the inspirational role space will have in Gen Alpha’s lives. New technologies, including resource-efficient agriculture and powdered protein, will come to light, giving food and drink brands a wider variety of space-inspired themes. Astronauts require food and drink solutions that can facilitate multi-year missions into deep space and these breakthroughs may well prove useful on Earth.”
On a related note: Space Tea recently launched as the world's first apoptogenic mushroom iced tea and lemonade beverage. The brand offers a modern spin on both the classic Arnold Palmer – offered in three low-sugar flavors: Original, Golden Mango, Summer Watermelon – and Classic Tea standards with zero sugar and zero calories: Lemon Zero, Hibiscus Zero and Matcha Zero.
Brothers Gabriel and Isaac Heymann, along with their business partner Michael Goldberg, founded Space Tea in 2020 as a certified organic, non-GMO, gluten-free and kosher brand.
To learn more about Mintel and the latest consumer trends, visit Mintel.com.
Plan to Attend or Participate in the
World Tea Conference + Expo, March 27-29, 2023
To learn about other key developments, trends, issues, hot topics and products within the global tea community, plan to attend the World Tea Conference + Expo, March 27-29, 2023 in Las Vegas, co-located with Bar & Restaurant Expo. Visit WorldTeaExpo.com.
To book your sponsorship or exhibit space at the World Tea Conference + Expo, or to enquire about advertising and sponsorship opportunities at World Tea News, contact:
Ellainy Karaboitis-Christopoulos
Business Development Manager, Questex
Phone: +1-212-895-8493
Email: [email protected]
Also, be sure to stay connected with the World Tea Conference + Expo on social media for details and insights about the event. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.