Showing posts with label 2014 food trends. Show all posts

Thursday, 13 February 2014

FOOD TRENDS: Organic food back in vogue as sales increase

Organic food back in vogue as sales increase

Shoppers are now more concerned with the quality of what they eat, say retailers

Jamie Doward
The Observer, Saturday 8 February 2014 16.15 GMT

After years of falling sales, organic food is making a comeback.Supermarkets and food associations say that after a sustained decline, demand for organic fruit, vegetables and dairy produce is on the rise, as consumers become more willing to pay a premium for food produced to higher farming standards.

Experts say that better product availability is helping to drive growth. A powerful organic marketing campaign, set up by growers and retailers, has also played a part. "Early indications show positive growth in the organic market in 2013, after around four years of decline – showing strong appetite among consumers for the environmental, animal welfare and health benefits of organic produce," said Bob Sexton, chief executive of certification at the Soil Association.

"Not only is the sector back in growth, but businesses that carry the Soil Association organic logo are experiencing relatively buoyant year-on-year growth of 5.3%. There is great potential in the organic sector and, in particular, a growing public demand for organic and food logos that they can trust."

Sexton said growth was led by dairy products, which are outperforming sales in the non-organic dairy sector. "Organic sales account for 5%, 7% and 5.3% respectively of all milk, yoghurt and eggs," he said. Organic baby food still makes up more than 54% of all baby-food purchases."

Latest growth figures from retail analysts Nielsen indicate that overall organic sales grew by just over 1% last year, valuing the UK organic market at £1.24bn.

Abel & Cole, the organic food supplier that came close to collapse when recession struck, released results last week showing it has emerged from huge debts to record a rise in turnover. Sales rose to £38m in the eight months to May 2013, a 24 per cent increase on the same period a year before.

Tesco reports sales of organic bananas are up 60%, while sales of other fruits, such as grapes and apples, have also shown double-digit growth. It says organic dairy products are enjoying a boom. Sales of organic feta cheese, for example, are up 95% at Tesco, while those of organic mature cheddar are up 45%. Organic whole milk sales are up 40% with semi-skimmed up 25%.

During the recession, price-conscious consumers switched from organic food as they sought to cut spending on groceries. But more competition in the organic market appears to be helping keep a lid on prices. Tesco's organic buyer, Harriet Turnbull, said supermarkets were finding it difficult to source organic products to meet demand.

"As the popularity of organic food increases, the more we are able to support our growers and suppliers by investing in research to offer shoppers even better-tasting produce."

Declining sales led to the creation in 2008 of the Organic Trade Board, a non-profit organisation of more than 120 producers and retailers, to promote the sector. "Rising interest in the quality of food, where it comes from, availability and an improving economy are major factors in the growth of organic," said Paul Moore, its chairman.

"In addition, we are better at explaining organic benefits to consumers. This has all helped deliver the growth we are seeing now." The Soil Association is due to release a report soon that will confirm that organic came back into vogue with consumers in 2013. During last year's month-long "organic September" promotion, there was a 9% increase in sales.

Sales of organic food declined by 12% in 2010 and have been falling since. Growing consumer interest in how food is produced is being partly put down to recent food scares. It was reported yesterday that the results of 900 sample tests by councils in West Yorkshire found 38% of foods were mislabelled or not what they claimed to be.

"In February 2013, immediately after the revelations about horse meat, total supermarket organic sales increased to their highest level in nine months, indicating a growing desire among consumers for food that they can trust," Sexton said.

"Our own research later in the year backed this up, with consumers telling us they wanted to know where their food was coming from. Organic food offers consumers a very high standard of product integrity, as well as the use of fewer pesticides, and better animal welfare."

Independent and online retailers are also driving the organic renaissance. Home delivery box schemes are proving increasingly popular.

Shifting demographics are also a factor. Under-35s have significantly increased their spending on organics.

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Tuesday, 28 January 2014

MARKET TRENDS: 10 quirky food trends for 2014

food trends 2014

RITA DEMONTIS, NATIONAL FOOD EDITOR, QMI AGENCY

Jan 13, 2014

, Last Updated: 4:22 PM ET

Follow @CanoeLifestyle

Cue the cauliflower — it's this year's kale. And eggs are giving beef a run for the money in food trends we'll be celebrating in 2014.

According to Canadian Restaurant News, the National Restaurant Association, (who reached out to the nation's professional foodies) this year's food trends range from the usual standards — locally sourced everything — to the unique and unusual, like hybrid desserts (cronuts live!), and snout to tail eating.

Gluten-free continues to dominate the menus and the quinoa love affair is as hot as ever (although I for one was hoping all the hype for this weed would die down a tad).

And gin will be 2014’s liquor of choice.

There's so much in store this year, with supermarket aisles crammed with new and innovative food types, to restaurants turning menus inside out with daring new dishes. New York-based JWT, one of the world's best-known marketing communications brand, recently released its forecast of 100 things to watch for in 2014, and the list is delicious food for thought: Yogurt will be going the savoury route, and "silent meals" will be offered by restaurants (Eat in Brooklyn, NYC is one) to help diners "eat more mindfully" and focus more on the taste of the food rather than the noise and distraction.

Also, "stealth health" is coming to an eatery near you — where restaurant chains work to improve the quality and nutrition of their offerings (like cutting back on sodium and preservatives) — but hoping diners don't notice.

JWT reports one of the 10 Trends in the produce department is "ugly" produce — proudly imperfect, lumpy goods like heirloom tomatoes, or gnarled carrots normally seen at farmers' markets are gaining more appeal than the prettier produce we're used to. There's even a private-label line of "nonconformist" produce dubbed "Wunderlinge" - a riff on the words anomaly and miracle that are selling like crazy in Austria!

We're also going to see cocktails on tap (much like we've seen wine on tap) and craft mocktails, which incorporate syrup infusions, fresh juices and homemade sodas for non-drinkers who have been stuck with the same old same old.

And look out for "deconstructed dinner kits" being delivered to your home — kits that provide all the ingredients, in just the right amounts, to make gourmet meals at home.

One trend worth eating up is "edible packaging" — JWT reports marketers are harnessing new technologies to create edible wrappers. The Bob’s burger chain in Brazil now serves its burgers in packaging you can eat. Harvard bioengineer David Edwards is behind WikiPearl, whose edible packaging can enclose any food or beverage, “like a grape skin,” he says.

According to Canadian Restaurant News, Peruvian cuisine looks to make waves along with "root-to-stalk" recipes to reduce food waste.

One of the biggest areas of change may be coming to a wedding reception near you — smaller, lighter menus are becoming common requests from the bride and groom, along with "raw" menus that include steak tartar and beef carpaccio, notes Toronto-based event specialist Tanya D'Adderio of Montcassino Hotel & Event venue. "We've also seen an increase in curiosity for sweet ingredients combined with savoury items," says D'Adderio. "One dish is a baked fish with a silky reduction of licorice — a truly memorable dish!"