Globally, Freshness, Health and Environment Are Tops
Consumers worldwide have readjusted their priorities regarding food products, according to a new study by Ipsos Marketing, Consumer Goods, which noted that topping the list of areas that respondents thought food companies should focus on when developing new products were fresher ingredients, more health benefits and increased eco-friendly packaging.
As a result, factors such as improved taste, more convenient packaging, innovative items, and food products that are faster and easier to prepare seem to have declined in importance for shoppers, the study found.
“We are seeing a global consumer movement toward heightened consciousness of health, wellness and environmental factors in their food-purchasing decisions,” said David Pring, EVP of New York-based Ipsos Marketing, Global Consumer Goods. “These are key developments in the food market, and not just in North America and Europe. We are also seeing that taste, convenience and product difference -- aspects that were probably more characteristic of food product drivers towards the end of the last millennium -- are taking a back seat in a world now more focused on making a positive impact on freshness and health, as well as the sustainability of the planet.”
Continued Pring: “For food marketers, the challenge is to ensure that innovation platforms are clearly focused on these consumer needs, not merely in developed markets, but also in emerging ones that will undoubtedly become increasingly salient in the near future. At the same time, marketers must be careful not to compromise taste, although this should go hand-in-hand with the use of fresh ingredients.”
Ipsos Marketing, Consumer Goods conducted the study via the Ipsos Global @dvisor, a global online consumer survey. Approximately 1,000 interviews were carried out between October and November 2008 in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey and the United States.
As a result, factors such as improved taste, more convenient packaging, innovative items, and food products that are faster and easier to prepare seem to have declined in importance for shoppers, the study found.
“We are seeing a global consumer movement toward heightened consciousness of health, wellness and environmental factors in their food-purchasing decisions,” said David Pring, EVP of New York-based Ipsos Marketing, Global Consumer Goods. “These are key developments in the food market, and not just in North America and Europe. We are also seeing that taste, convenience and product difference -- aspects that were probably more characteristic of food product drivers towards the end of the last millennium -- are taking a back seat in a world now more focused on making a positive impact on freshness and health, as well as the sustainability of the planet.”
Continued Pring: “For food marketers, the challenge is to ensure that innovation platforms are clearly focused on these consumer needs, not merely in developed markets, but also in emerging ones that will undoubtedly become increasingly salient in the near future. At the same time, marketers must be careful not to compromise taste, although this should go hand-in-hand with the use of fresh ingredients.”
Ipsos Marketing, Consumer Goods conducted the study via the Ipsos Global @dvisor, a global online consumer survey. Approximately 1,000 interviews were carried out between October and November 2008 in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey and the United States.