News and Trends

  www.kamcity.com Co-op has become the latest grocery retailer to expand its vegan offering amid growing consumer demand for meat-free products. The convenience retailer is doubling its plant-based offer with 18 new lines joining its own label range, GRO, from this week. Amongst the new additions, vegan alternatives to steaks and pork pies will be available alongside vegetable-based options such as a spiced squash and cauliflower pie. Recent research for Co-op’s Ethical Consumerism 2020 report revealed that the vegan market has more than doubled in the last decade, worth £1.1bn, up from £565m in 2011. The rise in demand is expected to continue as attitudes towards the environment and health become ever more important. Breige Donaghy, director of food development at the Co-op said: “As a convenience retailer with stores in every postal area, it’s important that we cater for all our shoppers. Growing our plant-based offering will continue to be a priority for 2021 and our exper...

bakeryinfo.co.uk Staying on top of trends can be a full-time job as shoppers’ minds change at the drop of a hat.  Thankfully, British Baker has done the hard work for you, gathering thoughts from industry experts. In part one of three, we explore the top trends likely to play out on the bakery scene in 2021.  It pays to be on trend. But in a world of Instagram-led fads, ever-changing consumer preferences and a worldwide pandemic, how do you know what’s worth tapping into ?  “Predicting big hitters for the year ahead isn’t easy as we make our way out of a turbulent 12 months. However, amidst the ever-changing consumer landscape we’re seeing two camps form when it comes to 2021 bakery trends; indulgence vs health,” says Kirsty Matthews, insights & marketing manager at Macphie. The pandemic has made major trends that were already shaping the food and drink market even more important Unsurprisingly, this is largely a result of coronavirus as consumers pay increasing att...

  thefoodpeople.co.uk In the ever changing landscape of food and drink, it can be a dizzying experience to keep an eye upon all the latest developments, which is why we have helped you to to zone in one the most exciting with our Top 10 New and Rising Trends of 2021 - 2022. Mini Splurge As they feel the pinch and cut back on big blowouts, consumers look for little ways to upgrade everyday rituals – e.g. plain black coffee gets upgraded to iced coffee with salted caramel foam, toast swaps out for bake-from-frozen chocolate croissants, or Friday night's steak dinner is padded out with bone marrow gravy and truffle fries. Comfort Comfort rules, when it comes to cooking… and eating! The obsession with baking continues unabated, dovetailing with this year's 'carb comeback'; gourmet sandwiches, lasagne, noodles and pizza are embraced by both home cooks and professional chefs. There's a need to be cosy and comfortable; think slippers and cardigans, slow...

  vegconomist.com Every week, Plant-based Business Expert Elysabeth Alfano breaks down the headlines with her review and analysis in the Plantbased Business Minute. In preparation for the New Year, today she brings us her top ten predictions for 2021.  Here are her top ten – um, thirteen – predictions for 2021.   1. Veggies of the Sea. Seafood, seafood, seafood! Plant-based seafood is all the rage. Good Catch , Hooked Foods , The Plant-Based Seafood Company , New Wave Foods, Shiok Meats , Save to Sea . There’s so many of them and people will start to realize that plant-based seafood is to 2021 what plant-based burgers were to 2019. 2. But, Bacon. Finally, vegans have an answer to, “But, what about bacon?” Hooray Foods bacon is on the West Coast of the United States in just a couple of stores, but will grow in 2021, and vegans can finally have their bacon and eat it, too. 3. Plant-based Pork, Please. In fact, all plant-based pork continues to dominate with Omnipor...

  retailanalysis.igd.com Since we released our UK food-to-go market forecasts for 2020-2022* in September, developments have occurred in both the virus path and the economic impact of the pandemic: The UK entered a second round of national lockdowns Advances have been made in vaccine testing and rollout Brexit/EU talks continue But how do these changes affect the outlook for UK food-to-go?  Here’s a summary of the findings from our new report UK food-to-go market forecast: Q4 2020 update. Bigger dip but faster recovery The latest national lockdowns will adversely impact food-to-go in Q4 2020 and Q1 2021, however, the potential earlier rollout of a vaccine could mean a faster recovery, and government intervention (e.g. extended furlough) could aid survival for at risk businesses So, although food-to-go sales in both retail and foodservice are likely to be slightly lower than we originally forecast for 2020, these could pick up faster in the second half of 2021 to reac...

  www.foodmanufacture.co.uk Waitrose outlined a number of key consumer trends to look out for in 2021 The upmarket retailer’s latest report is based on wide-ranging new OnePoll research of 2,000 people across Britain, backed by its own sales data. Thanks to the spread of COVID-19, the number of consumers scratch cooking meals has increased. More than half of respondents (53%) said they now carefully plan their meals, while 74% said home cooking provided a break when working from home. Since lockdowns began, companies like Associated British Foods (ABF), The Tofoo Company and Oggs have all benefitted from the growth of scratch cooking as more people are forced to stay at home. Support for British food ​ Nearly three quarters of people (74%) wanted to see more UK food businesses express support for local British producers. And 61% worried there would be a rise in factory-farmed meat coming into the UK if standards were not protected. Future food standards have b...

  Namnews, 17th December 2020, Vegan products are set to dominate UK shopper baskets in 2021, but supermarkets are expected to prioritise new and disruptive brands in this category. Meanwhile, listings for low alcohol products at supermarkets increased by 30% in the last 12 months, sparking an upwards trend in healthy alternatives in the new year. This according to data from analysts at Edge by Ascential’s e-commerce analytics SaaS platform, Digital Shelf. They revealed that in 2020, chilled and frozen vegetarian and vegan ranges experienced modest growth of 3% as supermarkets sought to keep their ranges lean amid the pandemic. However, growth in the category was primarily led by smaller manufacturers and new disruptors, with 15% more brands available to shoppers in the category than in November last year. Meat-free brand Naked Glory, launched in 2019, has seen the most growth, increasing ranges across several major UK supermarkets by 200%, followed by Squeaky Bean (+166.7%) and Th...