As part of four key trends set to impact the Australia and New Zealand, Mintel forecasts that the ‘Healthy Appetite’ trend is a key area brands can further tap into to see commercial success. Here, Mintel’s Jane Barnett explains why the coming year is key for brands in the region to showcase their expertise in this area.
While the intake of fruit and vegetables in Australia and New Zealand is still under the daily recommendation (only 68% of Kiwis eat at least three servings of vegetables each day, and in Australia, just 9% of adults consume the recommended five servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit daily), there is an increasing awareness about healthy eating.
According to Mintel’s Global New Products Database (GNPD), all natural product claims have increased from 4% to 8% over the last five years, while organic claims had smaller growth – from 6.1% to 6.4% – most likely a result of more stringent testing of organic claims by the peak governing bodies in ANZ.
Within Australia’s snack bar market, brands based on wholefood and healthy options are experiencing more growth in Australia, with companies including Carman’s Fine Foods and Nice & Natural both increasing in popularity and market share.
The popularity of detoxes and diets focused on plant-based foods, such as veganism, are impacting juice sales. Detoxing, and in particular juice detoxes, have been increasing in popularity, off the back of numerous celebrities who advocate the fasts as a way to cleanse the body of impurities. This type of consumer is very likely to prepare a considerable portion of their food and drink in their home, as they want to be aware of what they are taking in, and when they consume products out of the house, they want them to be as close as possible to what they would make at home.
Vegan, raw food diets are becoming much more mainstream, and ‘wellness warriors’ preaching their lifestyle choices are gaining more momentum and notoriety. Australians like Loni Jane Anthony and Freelee The Banana Girl, who gained attention when the mainstream media caught wind of their vegan, ‘Raw Til 4’ lifestyles, have courted controversy around their choices. Both advocate juicing and smoothies, eating only raw foods until 4pm, and no animal products at all. They also follow the 80:10:10 diet, where 80% of the calories come from carbohydrates (mostly fruit and some veggies), 10% come from healthy fats, and the rest come from protein.
While the extreme lifestyles have of course attracted some criticism, they have also gained support, which they have capitalised on. Anthony is releasing an ebook about her lifestyle and has also teamed up with Priceline to share smoothie and juice recipes. There is a growing appetite for brands to show how they can fit into such regimes and brands with a USP which mirrors consumer demand stand to benefit.
To find out more about how to tap into this – and other opportunities in the Australia and New Zealand consumer marketplace, download Mintel’s free report on 2015 consumer trends here.
