Datamonitor highlights top trends to watch in packaged goods

The future trends highlighted mainly emanate from the USA.

They include:

Probiotics: these have already moved beyond yogurt into cheese (with Kraft LiveActive Cheese in the USA and Canada) and other dairy products. Chocolate could be next with supplier Barry Callebaut already boasting new technology that can create probiotic chocolate bars.

Organics for kids: Organic food and drink producers are beginning to aggressively target the kids’ market. In the USA, Amy’s Kitchen now offers Amy’s Not Just for Kids Meals Frozen Entrees, while Honest Tea has launched Honest Kids Organic Fruit-Flavored Thirst Quenchers.

Steam: New frozen foods cooked with steam in special microwave packages like new Rosetto Steam’n Eat Ravioli in the USA are part of an up-and-coming “fresh” trend. The number of new food products launched in the USA that either use or are designed to use steam as a cooking method tripled between 2005 and 2007.

Superfruits: High-nutrient “superfruits” like acai, goji berries and pomegranates are set to go mainstream in 2008 as larger companies begin to get in on the act. Yumberry could be the year’s new superfruit, already forming the basis of a new line of drinks in the USA from Frutzzo Natural Juice.

Sleep aids and stress relief: With research showing a link between lack of sleep and obesity, there is likely to be growth in sleep aids and stress-relieving products. A prime example is Nakazawa Adult Milk in Japan, which comes from cows milked at dawn and is naturally high in melatonin. We could also see new products based on the amino acid gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which has stress relieving properties.

Bold flavours: sense of taste and smell can diminish with age, and an ageing population is likely to demand hotter, spicier and bolder flavours. These could crop up in unusual areas, such as yogurt drinks with chilli.

Green: packaged goods manufacturers are finding new ways to be planet-friendly, with production methods incorporating wind and solar power. Procter & Gamble has launched Pur Flavor Options, which enables consumers to flavour water as it comes out of the tap, avoiding the waste of bottled water. USA-based Wonder Tablitz offers a line of household cleaners and deodorisers that use effervescent bottles and special spray bottles. Consumers add their own water and reuse the bottles.