Page 43 - AMEFT Journal 2021-2

Innova Market Insight:
Flavor is the king
Aglobal knowledge leader in the food and beverage industry, In- nova Market Insights emphasizes that flavor is the single most important choice factor and purchase driver for ice cream shoppers. However, there are other trends in ice cream develop- ment that help to build further com- petitive edge. These include non-dairy formulations, low sugar recipes, clea- ner labels and ethical ingredients.
Non-dairy ice cream has certainly been booming in recent years. Launch numbers rose at a CAGR of almost 30% over 2016-2020 and non-dairy lines now account for 10% of all ice cream introductions. This rises to as much as one-quarter of all activity in North America and one-fifth of launches in Australasia, which comprises Austra- lia, New Zealand, and some neighbou- ring islands.
Low sugar formulations are also gaining ground, reaching pene- tration of 6% of launches in 2020. “The development of more natural
Non-dairy ice cream has certainly been booming in recent years. Launch numbers rose at a CAGR of almost 30% over 2016-2020 and non-dairy lines now account for 10% of all ice cream introductions.
(Photo Source: Pixabay)
sweeteners has attracted more at- tention to sugar reduction,” says Lu Ann Williams, Director of Innovation at Innova Market Insights. “Artificial sweeteners have steadily lost ground, and erythritol, stevia and monk fruit are now the top three choices in low sugar and sugar-free ice cream,” said Williams.
Meanwhile, when it comes to clean label development, shorter and simp- ler ingredients lists are popular. Some brands have even flagged the number of ingredients, or indeed the full ingredient list, on their packaging. Although these
are all interesting trends in ice cream development, flavor is still the king. Even where alternative positioning is used to target specific consumer interests, taste choices remain vital.
In fact, they can be even more im- portant in healthier recipes, helping to cement an indulgent image. For example, salted caramel is one of the biggest winners in recent flavor deve- lopment, rising to fifth in the flavor rankings in 2020. However, its pene- tration in non-dairy ice cream is more than twice as high as in regular dairy ice cream.
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