The RAPS Trendreport 2024
Health and financial crises, rising inequality, and a wealth gap have sparked financial anxiety around the world, forcing consumers to save. As a result, consumers' values have changed. As consumers increasingly have to compromise for financial reasons, they are becoming more realistic in their search for value. They want quality and price to be balanced.
The effects of high food price inflation and the need to make cuts continue to affect consumption and product choices, ultimately leading not only to higher spending but also to even more conscious lifestyles towards the planet and the wallet. According to Statista, more than 40% of consumers were willing to pay more for sustainable food and beverages
Since "Corona" at the latest, we have also known for sure how much health-related information on the packaging influences purchasing decisions. The shift towards a healthier life set in motion by the pandemic, with more responsibility for individuals with regard to conscious product choices, means that environmental and ethical product claims, as well as the content and mode of action of ingredients, are becoming even more important.
This leads us to the first trend highlighted here: "INGREDIENTS: TAKING THE SPOTLIGHT". This trend highlights the importance of thinking more about ingredients, especially since in this day and age, simple messages spread quickly on social media and ingredients are talked about non-stop.
By sourcing ingredients nearby to create authentic, international dishes, products/applications can simultaneously tap into a strong sense of local pride and adventurous palates. This describes our second trend. "LOCAL GOES GLOBAL".
Trend number 3 deals with the domestic kitchen hero, the "HOME KITCHEN HEROES".
At home, people by far prefer to experiment when it comes to taste and new ingredients. The home is becoming an alternative place for extended social occasions that fit the changing lifestyles and financial realities. The aim is to create dishes that can be considered at least equivalent to eating in a restaurant.
Adapting well-known dishes and formats offers familiarity and clarity to consumers who are keen to embrace plant-based products.
This is what our fourth trend "PLANT BASED: THE RISE OF APPLIED OFFERINGS" is about, which is mainly driven by the taste expectations and habits of flexitarians. The availability of diverse plant-based products in various popular formats, including burgers, sausages, cold cuts, bratwurst, steaks, dairy alternatives and ready meals, has continued to increase across European markets.
And this is where our fifth trend "ORGANIC KEEPS STAYING" comes in. The willingness of consumers to invest more in sustainable and ecologically valuable products despite economic challenges remains unbroken. Sustainability is one of the most important drivers for new organic product launches. The market for organic food is booming. In Germany, sales of organic products have risen to more than 15 billion euros in recent years, and the younger generations in particular are disproportionately interested in them, especially since organic is often associated with ethical and ecological aspects.
The Innova platform for market research has analyzed the markets of 90 countries for our customers from the food industry, retail and butchery trade. Interesting new product developments, food trends and innovations have been identified. We have summarized a part of the results in the RAPS trend report 2024. Use the opportunity to recognize changes of the food market at an early stage and expand and develop your product range accordingly.
RAPS is constantly monitoring all these trend topics and offers appropriate product solutions. We are pleased to answer all your questions and provide further information.
Ingredients: Taking the Spotlight
Ingredients evoke strong associations in people, whether they are looking for taste, emotion or functionality. Focusing on the key elements of a product, i.e. its "STAR ingredient", makes it possible to quickly put positive attributes and values in the spotlight. Thus, it is important to understand the attitudes of consumers towards certain ingredients well and to identify those "ingredient heroes" that arouse the interest of consumers and with which positive associations are associated at the same time. Consumers seek value from ingredients.
Helping consumers navigate choices with storytelling and visual cues Is key.
Local goes Global
Consumers see value and positivity in products created close to home, however the desire for the best global cuisines remains undiminished. Driven by cravings and curiosity, consumers are excited to try diverse flavors found in specific regions and dishes on their table. From authentic, adventurous foreign dishes to ingredients produced close to home, the power of local is spreading across the globe.
At the same time, promoting traditional local menus creates a lasting connection with people and place. For environmental, economic, and social reasons, local products and dishes are proving a hit worldwide
Home Kitchen Heroes
The renaissance in creative cooking is growing, fueled by a trend towards more insular lifestyles and persistent economic uncertainty. Additionally, consumers say entertaining and experimenting at home offers greater choice to go alongside value for money. This is driving sales of home-friendly formats and ingredients that allow our kitchen heroes to experiment with enhanced flavors while cooking from scratch.
Plant Based – Familiar formats
The development of established, popular dishes makes it easier for many people to embrace plant-based products and follow a plant-based diet, as they can enjoy familiar foods without having to compromise on their diet. Half of global consumers say that familiar and convenient culinary formats are important to them when choosing plant-based product options. Time-saving ready-to-eat meals are increasingly being offered in alternative vegan or vegetarian variants for popular main courses (CAGR 2020H2-2023H1: +16% Global). Convenient formats such as finger food are the next step in the evolution of plant-based offerings and are also becoming increasingly popular. (Fingerfood CAGR 2020H2-2023H1: +21%)
Organic keeps staying
The number of buyers of organic products in Germany has tended to grow in recent years. Although the reach of organic shops and supermarkets has also increased , the increased availability of products in traditional food retailing is the main driver of growth. Today, organic food is no longer an exclusive commodity for organic specialty stores or drugstores, but can now be found in every discounter. In terms of global per capita sales of organic food, Germany is represented in the top 10, with the Swiss leading the way.
In addition to the topic of sustainability, the term organic is also strongly associated with health and clean labeling. This is particularly true for the younger generation, which is why the organic trend is likely to continue to grow in the long term.