CHICAGO — Ingredients are “taking the spotlight” in top US and Canadian food and beverage trends for 2024, Innova Market Insights said in a presentation at the IFT FIRST expo in Chicago.

Consumer packaged goods manufacturers and marketers are highlighting key product ingredients as consumers seek more benefits and value from the foods and beverages they buy, said Mimi Bonnett, senior director of insights at Innova, a global CPG market intelligence firm, with its US headquarters in Chicago.

“Ingredients continue to play an increasingly evergreen role in positioning products and marketing,” Bonnett said in her talk at the Innova booth during the expo, held last week at Chicago’s McCormick Place. “It has been happening for about two decades now, but it’s really ramping up. We call this ‘taking the spotlight’ because a lot of brands are focusing on one of the very compelling ingredients in their product and then using that to make it the star of the product itself.”

The 2024 Innova Trends Survey found that 28% of US and Canadian consumers always examine ingredients of interest on product packaging, with two in five respondents citing protein as the most important ingredient. And food companies are taking note. For example, Bonnett pointed to Wilde Brands’ Wilde Protein Chips. On the bag, the meat snacks call out “real ingredients” like chicken breast, egg whites and bone broth; 100% chicken; 10 grams of protein; and antibiotic-free.

“What Wilde has done, among many other brands, is take this important, simple communication and move it right into the front so that you’re leaving nobody behind,” Bonnett explained. “The 28% who are not reading packaging or labels are actually still getting the same information. And although the cues used are slightly different, they all come back to this idea of protein, protein, protein.”

Power of protein

Of consumers polled by Innova, 28% cited energy and stamina and 26% named weight management as leading reasons to ensure protein intake. For example, in Canada, Keen No Bake Energy Bite Mix bills its 12 grams of protein per serving as a “macronutrient that’s not just for bodybuilders,” while in the United States, the package for Slimfast Delights Crispy Chocolate Fudge Treat Snack Bars spotlights 8 grams of protein, 80 calories, “85% less sugar than the average rice crisp cereal snack bar” and the tagline “lose weight and keep it off.”

“It demonstrates that consumers are really taking a new approach to how they’re looking at nutrition with formidable things like protein,” Bonnett said. “So the associations are changing.”

Other products are taking a different tack, she said, by spotlighting the sourcing of the star ingredient (e.g. Joolie’s Date Pops date and nut energy bites), calling out historically important grains (e.g. ancient, organic and stone-ground grains in Olyra Breakfast Biscuits) and touting healthy indulgence via ingredients like 100% whole grain oats (e.g. Bobo’s Oat Bars).

Similarly, her presentation cited Balance Bread from Equii, whose proprietary process uses microbial protein to ferment grains and produce high-protein grain flours. That meshes with the one in four US and Canadian consumers who told Innova that they depend on nutrition-fortified food to maintain their protein intake.

“It’s a solid look into the future to see where protein development can go and different ways that brands are going to use this sort of application to make their products a little bit different or have a unique selling point,” Bonnett noted.

Addressing health concerns

Food and beverage makers and marketers also continue to emphasize health and wellness — focusing on prevention — but more recently they have zeroed in on specific concerns among consumers, including by age group. Innova’s survey, Bonnett said, showed that different generations have different health concerns.

For instance, while baby boomers and Generation Z both list weight management and heart health among their top health concerns, Gen Zers also cite skin health, energy and stamina, and immune health, whereas boomers cite healthy aging, bone/joint health and brain health.

Bonnett singled out brain health as an attribute garnering rising support in new products, with Innova research finding 5% average annual growth in the number of product launches featuring a brain health claim. Examples include GourmetNut Simple Slices Apple Chips, billed as “being good for your brain health”; Shroomi Functional Coffee, touted as “supporting brain health”; and Brainjuice’s Brainjava line of fortified, ready-to-drink coffee and tea, described as “formulated for natural brain dietary supplementation.”

Hydration stirs up beverages

New beverage products, too, are increasingly based on health benefits, especially hydration attributes, Bonnett said. Over the past three years, launches of soft drinks and sports nutrition beverages with hydration-related claims have risen 29% year-over-year, according to Innova research. One example is Spade Premium Sparkling Soda, billed as “electrolyte enriched,” all-natural and without sugar and calories.

“Hydration is for everybody; it’s not just for working out,” Bonnett said. “You’ve probably seen this trend. If you go into any store, it feels like there are thousands of drinks, and hydration is really becoming something that is an emerging trend.”

Innova’s data also indicate that, over the last year, 41% of hydration-related beverage launches carry an additional active health claim, such as brain health, probiotics, energy/alertness and gut health. Bonnett pointed to Pressed Juicery’s Hydration+ beverage, described as “packed with added electrolytes” for “enhanced hydration” as well as “featuring zinc and vitamin C for immunity support, plus gut-friendly probiotics.” Other examples, she said, include functional beverage maker Sly’s Dream Brain & Body Recovery drink, billed as a hydration and sleep aid for gamers, and hard seltzer brand White Claw entering the non-alcoholic beverage arena with a premium seltzer containing “hydrating electrolytes.”

“What’s happening is that brands are blurring the lines about what they are so that they can nudge into territories where they (previously) weren’t able to easily make convincing claims,” Bonnett explained. “It tells me that hydration can be one of those claims that continues to grow into different places.”

‘Plant-based’ branches out

 Back on the food side, plant-based offerings are making inroads into new products and formats. In Innova’s Trends Survey, one in four of those polled said they’re willing to eat 100% plant-based alternatives because it adds variety to their diets.

Food formats for plant-based versions of meat or poultry that US and Canadian consumers said they would be willing to try include finger food, toppings, fried, ready meals and snacks. Examples include frozen plant-based Asian dumplings from Canada’s Plant Up brand and, in the United States from Mars Inc., Tasty Bite shelf-stable, plant-based and microwavable Indian entrees.

“Brands are focusing on a plant-based meal alternatives in main dishes, which was up I think 6% since 2019, so that’s pretty profound,” Bonnett said. “It also aligns with what consumers want. But it seems to me that the bigger opportunity may come in smaller portions like finger foods, appetizers, snacks — all of these are still ripe opportunities for product development from a plant-based perspective.”

In the ingredients realm, pea, wheat and soy proteins are established alternative protein trends in food and beverage launches with a plant-based and/or vegan claim, with rice protein also deemed as on-trend and chickpea and flaxseed proteins as up-and-coming, according to Innova’s US and Canadian market data. New products include Konscious Onigiri frozen sushi (pea protein) and Chickapea pasta (chickpea protein) in Canada and Daiya Homestyle Ranch dairy-free dressing with a new chickpea recipe in the United States.

“These last products prove that we’re making a little bit of a shift into more culinary-focused, adventurous territory with plant-based proteins,” Bonnett observed.

Indeed, Innova’s survey also revealed that more than 4 in 10 consumers would like to try plant-based foods with international flavors, such as Chinese, Mexican and Italian. 

Making food-at-home an occasion 

New products also are spicing up efforts by more consumers to eat at home. Innova’s 2024 survey found that 39% said they’ve been eating at home more often over the last 12 months, compared with 11% reporting they’ve dined out more often. Bonnett cited General Mills’ Betty Crocker Batchables cookie, brownie and muffin mixes — which enable users to bake any amount they want — and its Pillsbury Moist Supreme Cake Mixes and Stuffed Cookie Kits as affordable, simple-to-prepare options for enjoying fresh-baked treats at home.

“Brands are recognizing that the opportunities to elevate the taste and preparation experience to meet at-home needs is really what consumers need right now, especially in these tough times,” Bonnett said. “These kits are from Pillsbury. They are directly acknowledging the differential in terms of cost between out-of-home baked goods versus bakery alternatives.”

Cost/value for the money and health benefits are consumers’ top reasons for eating at home, Innova research indicates, yet social factors like indulgence and novelty also play a key role. Bonnett said that includes a willingness to try new flavors, such as Mr. Chen’s Pai Thai Noodles and Vietnamese Beef Pho Meal Kits, and create restaurant experiences at home, such as the Perfect 3rd Date Meal Kit brand collaboration of Bumble and goodfood.