Gulfood's Top 10 trade trends for 2011
As consumers become more knowledgeable through travel, media coverage and restaurant experience, the fast paced food, beverage and hospitality industries are under increasing pressure to meet the evolving tastes of their customers.
This global demand is highlighted by the record number of ingredient specialists exhibiting at this year’s Gulfood exhibition, the region’s largest trade exhibition for food, drink, foodservice and hospitality equipment which takes place 27 February – 2 March 2011 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Showcasing the industry’s top products, innovations and inventions from over 3,800 exhibitors spanning more than 120 countries, Gulfood highlights some of the top trends for 2011.
1. Flavours in Favour
Last year’s trend for hot and spicy flavourings continues to grow as consumers crave more flavour, whether in their kitchens, in restaurants or on supermarket shelves. According to McCormick’s flavour forecast for 2011, combinations as adventurous as caramelised honey and red adzuki beans, fennel and peri-peri sauce, and green peppercorns and goats milk, are “taking tastebuds to exhilarating new places”. Many leading international companies will feature at Gulfood and Ingredients Middle East, including Cargill, Doehler, Fanar, Solyman Services, Symrise, Transveritas and Wild, who will all showcase the latest flavourings from around the world.
2. Packing a Punch
Cost and conservation are key processing and packaging trends this year, with sustainability one of the major driving forces. It is not just a case of ‘green is great’, but it can also be the most cost effective packaging, from manufacture and materials to tins and transport. Frimex/Hayel Saeed, Integrated Packaging Systems, Tetra Pak and Union Packaging will all be showing their latest innovations.
3. Naturally good
With a growing shift towards natural products, food and beverage manufacturers are focusing on the inherent goodness of ingredients. Simple, but powerful messaging is coming to the fore. Naturex, for example, continues to strengthen its position as a leader in all-natural flavourings, colourings, scents and preservatives at Gulfood and Nestle Professional is set to launch a new drink category for the Middle East at Gulfood 2011 with Sjora, a fruit and dairy blend drink that promises to be all natural, 99.9 percent fat free and a healthier alternative to carbonated soft drinks.
4. Clean and Clear
There is a strong rise in popularity for simplicity. Clean label, e-free foods without additives, colourings and preservatives, are making a strong surge, using ingredients with natural derivatives, such as the sugar substitute, stevia, agave and maple syrup instead.
5. Proven is the password
With functional health interest showing no sign of slowing down, health claims and wellness benefits in food products are gaining new ground. This signals big opportunity for those companies that have included science in their manufacture, and can add “clinically proven” or “20 years of scientific research” to their product promise. Also growing is the overlap between pharma and food, a trend that is highlighted by Gulfood exhibitors such as Piramal Healthcare and Unilever.
6. Fruit and Veg Revival
While consumers are familiar with the “5-Portions-A-Day” mantra promoted by government bodies around the world, many food manufacturers are now incorporating fruit and vegetables in a wide range of products. Leading pasta manufacturer, Barilla now produces a pasta that includes carrots, while Gulfood exhibitor Del Monte now offers one of the most extensive fruit and vegetable product ranges in the world – from freeze-dried through to fresh, frozen, canned, vacuum packed and juiced. Fruit based snacks are also gaining ground around the world, from banana crisps through to freeze-dried cranberries and ‘fruit leather’.
7. For Your Own Good
Consumer demand is increasing for food and beverages that include inherent health benefits, from anti-oxidants to probiotics and beyond. Dairy products and cereals lead the way in taking this trend to the mass market. Companies such as Fortitech Inc., the world leader in the development of custom nutrient premixes, Andre Ingedients, who provide 50 different types of pectin products, and Sternvitamin, a renowned developer of vitamin and mineral premixes, will exhibit their latest innovations and ‘star nutrients of today and tomorrow’ at this year’s exhibition.
8. Time for Tea
Thanks to green tea being recognised globally for its health benefits, the category is now booming with tea and tea-fruit juice blends. Many now lean towards exotic fruits to take advantage of the health and wellness trends, as well as globalisation’s growing ethnic flavour offerings. These combinations are incorporating super-fruits of the moment like açai, carambola and pomegranate. Leading Thai manufacturer Mulberry Tea Company is adding a green tea produced from mulberry leaves to its range at Gulfood, and Jafferjee & Sons have announced that they will be unveiling a “unique and unconventional” selection of tea products exclusively at the event.
9. Making a Mint
Symrise returns to the exhibition, highlighting a growing trend globally for menthol, specifically for the confectionery market producing gums and mints. The company, which manufactures a synthetic menthol flavour with a nature identical molecule, has the advantage of assuring a constant supply of the popular flavouring, undeterred by adverse harvests or weather conditions.
10. Population Paths
While population statistics in developed markets such as the US and Europe lean towards an ageing market looking for products offering cognitive and physical functionality benefits later in life, in developing markets such as the Middle East up to 50% of the population demographic is under the age of 25. This means a completely different focus in the food and beverage sector, with snack and convenience foods offering strong opportunities for market growth.
Gulfood is strictly a trade-only event and is open to business and trade visitors from within the industry only. Complimentary registration is available in advance online. Industry business professionals on the day of the show will be able to buy either a Day Pass for AED 75, or a Four Day Pass for AED 150.
Gulfood is open from 11am – 7pm Sunday 27 February 2011 to Tuesday 1 March 2011 and from 11am – 5pm on Wednesday 2 March.
For more information, please visit www.gulfood.com.