FUTURE FOOD TRENDS

This article reviews the literature on the future food trends with the aim to analyze the consumer changes and the way they impact the food markets. The consumer changes of the past two - three decades have influenced the new product development process (NPD) of food companies. Also these changes will continue to impact the new type of products that are going to be launched in the next ten years. The changes that have occurred in the consumers attitudes regarding food choice are a result of the influence of multiple factors. To understand the key factors influencing on consumers food choice is necessary to look at the macro environment of today's society and its influence on consumer's lifestyle. Some of the consumer changes that are going to be discussed in this article are: 1) demographical changes (income level, age, educational level, and house hold size); 2) urbanization; 3) life style and value changes (influenced by multiple factors, such as globalization, trade liberalisation, and increased income level, etc.). From the analysis on the consumer changes that impact the food choice, the authors deducts that the main food trends that will influence the NPD process of food companies in the next ten years are: a) health and wellness trend; b) convenience trend; c) pleasure and indulgence trend and d) value and quality trend. Aside these four mega trends, the analysis will reveal also other smaller trends, which included cosmetic food and beverage, free-from, simplicity, and variety seeking trend.