Our Take on Popular 2021 Food Predictions
As we enter 2021, we are eager to see how the industry evolves and innovates to meet the growing demand for affordable and nutritious food.
Here are some popular 2021 food predictions–and our take on each of them:
Our Take: The Next ‘Organic’
Eco-friendly products, while increasingly popular, are unlikely to have a large scale impact anytime soon. Nevertheless, they raise awareness and give consumers a chance to show advocacy through their purchases. If eco-friendly products gain salience in the consumers’ minds (becoming like “organic” for instance), then a bigger impact is possible. Regenerative agriculture will continue to gain popularity across the value chain. Companies’ awareness on the role of soil to capture carbon and mitigate climate change will increase, as will smart solutions to accelerate this journey. The Circular Economy movement will also continue to gain momentum in 2021 with companies exploring solutions to move beyond the traditional take-make-waste model through the use of upcycled ingredients and reusable packaging, among others.
Our Take: Diversification and experimentation with offerings will continue.
We saw a wave of innovation this past year from retail and restaurants rapidly adjusting to the hurdles brought by the pandemic, and we will continue to see them expand into new segments. Retailers will continue to diversify and shift offerings to be more experiential, blurring the line between food retail and foodservice. How consumer buying patterns will resume after the vaccines remains to be seen, but there is no question that retail and foodservice will blend even more in 2021.
Our Take: Small wins
Gene-editing technology CRISPR was identified by the Attention FWD team as one of the key Forces of Change shaping our future. Given the controversy the food industry has seen with genetically modified products, the road for consumer acceptance of gene-editing technology in food production will be long and will likely experience backlash. Nonetheless, gene-editing technology will see small wins in 2021.
Our Take: You won’t notice
Accelerated by the COVID crisis and growing health and safety concerns, innovation in automation will continue to climb to the top of the priority list for many companies. While this will be a critical year for self-driving technology, you may not notice because the first advances will be in business-to-business trucking. 2022 will likely be the year when driverless home delivery and taxi services will become widespread.
Our Take: Blockchain will provide evidence for corporate storytelling
True, consumer awareness and expectations of transparency will continue to increase and spark a flurry of smart solutions featuring blockchain technology to strengthen ingredient and product traceability. However, we doubt that many consumers will actively engage with blockchain technology. (Do you really want to scan a barcode to learn what boat caught your tuna fish?) Companies are more likely to engage consumers by telling compelling stories about their workers and raw materials across the supply chain. But those stories have to be authentic, and blockchain technology will serve as the lie detector test.
Our Take: Accelerated growth in food brands that provide immunity boosters
The functional food and beverage trend is indeed accelerating. New research into the connection between food and the immune system is driving growth. We believe the winners in these markets won’t be the supplement makers but those who create food brands with added functional properties. Furthermore, cannabis edibles will continue to move into the mainstream and be offered in a variety of food beverage and products, with federal legalization well within reach in the next two years.
Our Take: We’re at the tip of the iceberg in gut microbiome research
Because the first wave of articles about the microbiome has already crested, this may seem like last year’s fad. But the truth is that the research of our gut microbiome is still in early days. The understanding of how neurotransmitters like serotonin, epinephrine and dopamine are affected by the “gut brain axis” is just beginning to become clear. Studies thus far make compelling connections between gut microbiome and overall health. This is simultaneously an evolving science and consumer space and will certainly be a driving force this year.