News from this website (reporter Jiang Mei).On 11 December, Tetra Pak released the latest edition of the Tetra Pak Index. According to the Tetra Pak Index 2023, today's consumers are more health-conscious than ever after an unprecedented global pandemic. At the same time, in addition to their own health, they also actively take environmental considerations into account when buying food. Correspondingly, consumers are demanding more from the food and beverage industry.
The Tetra Pak Index 2023 report is a joint effort between Tetra Pak and Ipsos and is based on 5,000** interviews conducted in 10 countries. The 10 countries include Brazil, China, Germany, India, Kenya, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The market for healthy foods has matured as consumers actively seek out products that can help improve their health. Today, the vast majority of consumers have a more holistic view of the situation: 70% of respondents believe that products that can be called healthy should not harm the environment, 54% believe that changing their daily diet Xi habits can make the world a better place, and they are willing to put it into practice and fulfill their responsibility to protect the planet. On the other hand, 51% of respondents believe that manufacturers and brands are the first to be responsible for providing healthy food, and they also expect brands to provide healthier and more environmentally sustainable food.
The dual focus on health and the environment is also reflected in consumer attitudes and trends towards meat intake. Based on a survey of consumers in 10 countries around the world, including China, the Tetra Pak Index shows that more and more consumers are consciously reducing their meat intake, which has become a global trend. Nearly half of consumers say they are eating less meat or no meat at all, and are known as "flexitarians." Fifty-six percent of respondents said that choosing a flexitarian, pescatarian, vegetarian or vegan diet was first and foremost for health reasons, while more than a third of respondents made it clear that environmental factors were the main driver.
The survey results also show that the long-standing concept of "convenience is king" has changed. 70% of consumers surveyed are willing to sacrifice convenience for access to healthy products, up to 82% in China. The pursuit of health has also not been affected by the rising cost of living, with only 17% of respondents saying they would forgo wholesome food and beverages due to their current financial situation.
On the one hand, the Tetra Pak Index summarizes and dissects some global consumer trends, but on the other hand, the report also points out that the so-called "typical" consumer or "one-size-fits-all" product no longer exists. Based on consumers' perceptions and needs for health and nutrition, the report breaks down consumer groups into six categories: holistic health seekers (12%), planet guardians (13%), responsible traditionalists (17%), weight monitors (23%), nutrition minimalists (16%) and health laggards (19%). Among them, the number of "comprehensive health seekers" among Chinese is relatively large. It is worth mentioning that the report points out that personalized nutrition is becoming a significant trend and is about to set off a revolution.
Looking ahead, the world's population will demand food by 60% by 2050. Breakthrough new food innovations are essential to ensure the availability of healthy, nutritious food and contribute to the sustainable development of the global food system. Among them, protein substitution, sugar reduction, and the use of low-value by-products for food regeneration are the three key areas of new food innovation. The Tetra Pak Index conducts consumer tests on important new food concepts in these three areas, focusing on their health and sustainability attributes, and analysing consumers' attention and preferences for different new food concepts.
The results show that consumer interest in sugar-free fruit juices and next-generation plant-based ingredients is the highest. This is particularly true in China and India, perhaps because consumers are already widely aware of fermented foods and plant-based concepts. In fact, sugar intake is the most concerned issue when it comes to food and beverage product consumption, with 53 percent of respondents expressing concern. Sugar-free foods are widely believed to be natural, nutritious, and healthy, and the size of the sugar-free market is growing.
It's no secret that today's food system relies heavily on animal proteins. Exploring new nutrients** through technical means, including new plant-based raw materials, and the use of biomass fermentation and precision fermentation to produce alternative proteins, are currently the main approaches. Among them, a new generation of plant-based proteins is emerging. According to the survey, the most popular plant-based ingredients are potatoes, buckwheat and hemp seeds. In addition to the new generation of plant-based ingredients and sugar-free fruit juices, Chinese consumers are also interested in consuming microbial and insect proteins in alternative proteins.
"This year's Tetra Pak Index confirms what we've been doing over the past few years, including reducing food waste, reducing climate impact, and making food systems more resilient and sustainable," said Tetra Pak Global President and CEO Albert O'Liwei. Around the world, people rely on products such as milk and fruit juice for their daily nutritional needs. Therefore, it is important to optimize innovation along the value chain of procurement, packaging, processing and distribution. Equally important is the use of new technologies for new food innovations. To this end, the food and beverage industry is expanding its investments and seizing opportunities to meet growing consumer demand and address the pressing challenges of sustainability. As always, Tetra Pak actively works with customers and merchants to protect food, people and the planet. ”