Institute of Food Technology 2021 Predictions

The Institute of Food Technology (IFT) released 9 predictions for 2021 in January. I find all of the predictions interesting. Some are more important to me than others, and I don’t completely agree with all of the messaging. Here are the three that stood out.

1. Food as Medicine

I agree that COVID-19 accelerated widespread awareness for “food as medicine” and some of the gaps in our food system. Dr. A Elizabeth Sloan predicts that those “looking to manage and treat a condition with a food or beverage will reach an all-time high… and younger consumers embracing functional foods, new and unique health-promoting ingredients, and superfoods will be a strong draw.” A rising awareness for food, nutrition, and quality will shift food and beverage product development and marketing. Upcoming labeling trends will highlight any nutritional health benefit of the food. “Buying foods for specific health benefits will continue to outpace selecting foods with more passive health positioning, such as organic, clean, local, etc. Watch for increased labeling of inherent natural health-promoting ingredients.”

This highlights some of the confusion to come. Consumer education about food and nutrition has been spotty. Information about food and its impact on our health reaches individuals in different and inconsistent ways with messages from doctors, influencers, celebrities, and the government rarely aligning. With an, “if you got it, flaunt it!” food labeling and marketing approach, food brands with strong marketing capability may claim more share than those working to truly aid consumers in selecting foods that can help support their health needs. We have too much at stake to keep it this way. Nutrition is so personal. Self-observation of how the body responds to different food choices will be key in filtering out the noise of food label marketing. As consumers have more insight into how their bodies respond the specific foods in real-time, they will connect food habits to long-term health outcomes. Food decisions guided by individual goals and insights is the ideal state.

2. Chefs Reach for Private-Label Lifeline | Ghost Kitchens Here to Stay

IFT Editor in Chief Bill McDowell started the trend list with a summary of how Private-label offerings supported chefs during COVID-19. I agree that Private-labels offered a much needed revenue stream in the short-term. Considered in conjunction with the rise of Ghost Kitchens discussed by editor Kelly Hensel, private and virtual label innovations represent long-term growth opportunities for the “food as medicine” space. Consumers increasingly expect delicious, convenient, accessible, and nutritious food solutions. I think of private-label and ghost-kitchens as channels to innovate food solutions.

The private label idea is no different than Applebee’s and PepsiCo collaborating to create Cosmic Wing’s Cheetos-flavored chicken wings. The menus for the brands I’m imagining would focus on nutrient dense offerings. Whether a solution spins up through private label, virtual brands, or gets created and launched through Ghost Kitchens, the benefit for all is that more solutions can potentially reach broader consumer segments. I am very excited and hopeful about any experiment that helps deliver personal, convenient nutrition. With rapid learning, we can form solutions at scale.

3. A Divided Marketplace

The most important trend covered is the “Divided Marketplace,” in which Mary Ellen Kuhn, Executive Editor, suggests consumers will take a “bipolar approach to purchasing”. Yes, there is significant bifurcation among consumers and food purchases. Those with discretionary income spend a premium on nutrient-rich foods that optimize personal health and physical performance. Those without, as Mary Ellen says, seek “value-oriented brands that offer more bang for the buck”.

“Value” in this context is too casual about a critical systemic failure in our food system. Heavily processed, nutritionally-void foods do hold value for being convenient and accessible. I am confident that as a society we are moving in the right direction to hold the companies bringing these foods to market more accountable for the lack of value they deliver to us in supporting health and driving high healthcare costs. Our food system lacks equity. We witnessed this tragically during the coronavirus epidemic when low-income consumers that are disproportionately impacted by food-driven chronic health conditions also bore disproportionately severe COVID-19 symptoms and outcomes.