Herbal foods and beverages have caught on with consumers
around the world, confirming consumption trends mapped by different market
intelligence agencies. The interest in green food goes far beyond people who
have adopted vegan and vegetarian diets. In the permanent search for well-being
and health, there is a growing movement of “flexitarians”, that is, consumers
who are looking for the occasional replacement of animal meat or dairy products
with plant-based products, considering them natural and nutritious.
The preference for natural , simple and flexible diets is
leading consumers to seek more fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds, herbs and
other herbal ingredients in the products they buy. This global movement is
confirmed by a survey released by Kantar Worldpanel (2019), which finds that
86% of plant-based meals are consumed by non-vegans.
The population that declares itself vegetarian and vegan in
Brazil has also been growing in recent years. According to a survey by Ibope
Inteligência (2018) , 14% of Brazilians interviewed declared themselves
vegetarians, which represents almost 30 million Brazilians who declare
themselves adept at this food option. Compared to 2012, there was a 75%
increase in the vegetarian population in the metropolitan regions of Brazil.
The same research also shows the rapid population growth in
interest in vegan products (free of any animal ingredients). 55% of respondents
stated that they would consume more vegan products if they were better
identified on the packaging.
“Many global
consumers, including those who eat meat, are trying to include more plant-based
foods, expanding the demand for these products beyond vegans and vegetarians.
More plant-based innovations can be created to serve this audience with
nutritious, healthy and tasty plant-based foods and drinks,” says Jenny Zegler,
Associate Director – Mintel Food & Drink.
In Brazil, healthy products have been driving industry and
retail sales, with a 12.7% growth in sales last year, which represents 5% of
the total billed, confirms the study Lifestyles 2019, released by Nielsen .
This movement brings a universe of opportunities for the
global food and beverage industries to expand their portfolios to attract
consumers who want to diversify their diet. This trend has been increasingly
evidenced in important international fairs, such as SIAL Paris 2019 and the
Winter Fancy Food Show 2019 , where herbal products are among the main
innovations.
In Brazil, the number of new plant-based product launches
grew by 24% between 2016 and 2018, according to a survey by Mintel.
Potential of different claims to explore
There is a vast potential of claims that brands can exploit
with plant-based foods and beverages, starting with the growing populations of
vegetarians, vegans and “flexitarians”, who seek a balanced, natural and
healthy diet.
Clean label , sustainable and animal welfare appeals are
also growing consumer demands. As well as the interest in functional products
enriched with plants and vegetables that provide additional benefits to
nutrition, in line with concepts such as mood food , for example.
Wide range of opportunities
This entire movement highlights a huge variety of
possibilities for plant-based formulations , such as alternative products with
high protein content, including meat and vegetable dairy products, and
beverages and foods with multifunctional positioning (to energize, increase
immunity, relax , for example) in the most different categories to meet the
most varied diets and generations.
This broad market has attracted the attention of both major
players in the national market and start-ups around the world, with interesting
investments in innovation. In addition to botanical and vegetable-based
formulations , attentive manufacturers are also betting on packaging and
formats (shot, for example), which help reduce sugar and calorie intake, while
products focus on quick functional benefits. and potent.
Check below some examples of product categories listed by
Mintel and Innova Market that are starting to arrive in the national and global
market in line with the concept of green food.
