Culinology - March 2012 - (Page 18)

CONSUMER TRENDS There is no doubt the demand for products “You have a consumer who thinks they need to be at the helm of the ship in regards to health and nutrition coupled with more information than they could possibly process,” said Barbara Katz, president of HealthFocus International, a market research firm based in St. Petersburg, Fla. Food and beverage trends tend to flow through a variety of channels, starting with white tablecloth restaurants then making their way to the casual segment. The trends eventually make the leap to the retail sector. To get a sense of how demand for clean label products, or those perceived as natural by consumers, has grown one just has to look at the National Restaurant Association’s 2012 “What’s Hot” chef survey. Within the top 20 list are several trends that relate to the clean label dynamic. Listed at No. 1 in the survey is demand for locally sourced meats and seafood. Locally sourced produce comes in at No. 2, while hyper-local sourcing, locally produced wine and beer, farm/es- featuring a clean label is rising. But the reason behind the trend may have more to do with the complexities of consumers’ day-to-day lives than demand for products perceived as natural. Consumers are overloaded with information, and they are demanding food and beverage products featuring a clean label in an effort to control the amount of information they have to absorb. 18 | Culinology | MARCH 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Culinology - March 2012

Culinology - March 2012
Table of Contents
President's Letter - Preparing for a brighter economic future
Upcoming Events
EmergingTrends - Trendy Fats
Emerging Trends - Hispanic culture affecting breakfast, dinner trends
Member Profile - Garden of Eaten
Consumer Trends - The power of perception
Dairy Trends - Dairy ingredient innovation
Flavor Trends - Emerging flavor profiles
Commodity Outlook - Input costs outlook
Packaging - Improving product integrity
Petits Fours
Ad Index

Culinology - March 2012