Consumers Are Driving Demand for Natural, Functional Foods

According to a new report from Food Futurologist Dr Morgaine Gaye, shared by the Almond Board of California, consumers want to simplify their lives. 

The pandemic drove a shift towards an increased desire to connect with nature and this, combined with the realization that we can live with less – many of us having been confined to one space during lockdown – means consumers are looking to go back to basics and a purer, more natural life. 

“We have a continued desire to connect with nature,” said the scientist. “Eating more natural foods and creating new foods and beverages from age-old ingredients, will play into the current trend for craft, small batch and low-fi living, and colourings and dyes for both food and fabrics are increasingly natural and plant derived… We are focused on getting back to basics. It’s not just a goal, it’s the way of the world.”

Increased simplicity is one way consumers are going back to basics, looking to discard unknown, processed foods in favor of those that are natural and considered to be essential store cupboard staples.

Gaye reports that heritage foods are well placed to address this need for the essential as “we find basic staples and age-old ingredients give us a sense of surety and stability, something we’ve very much needed in the recent years.” 

She highlights that we are already seeing these demands come to life: “Both food and packaging are changing and responding to this trend with simplified functionality. We are seeking out multi-use packaging, foods which work for breakfast, lunch and dinner and 3 ingredient recipes. We are increasingly drawn to foods with less ingredients and less processing.”

This desire for simplicity also plays out in increasingly minimalist lifestyles, stripped of non-essentials.

One way consumers can minimize what they accumulate is by using food to sustain their health. Multi-functional products that allow consumers to streamline their lives are key. According to Gaye, “natural and minimally processed foods are the best things we can put into and onto our body. The gut-brain connection is becoming much more prevalent, and consumers are seeking out food they can relate to, with simple, store-cupboard ingredients listed on labels.” 

Gaye also suggests that “the underlying impulse for less is partly to do with wanting more freedom and less restriction,” suggesting that “our aspiration is moving from a time of ‘having’ things and accumulat[ing] stuff, to wanting to be free of decision fatigue.” She concludes: “simplicity which highlights less-but-better, can be seen in all elements of our lives going forward.”

The Almond Board of California shared the report to showcase how California almonds play into this trend as a natural and naturally functional food. With 14 different forms, as well as their strong nutritional profile, almonds are ideal for those responding to these emerging consumer demands for a simpler life. For food manufacturers, looking towards the future of food when innovating is imperative to ensure success. As consumers move back to basics, natural, nutritious ingredients like almonds are useful to consider when looking to add value to product development.