Mintel, the experts in what consumers want and why, has today launched Asia Pacific: The Food and Drink Landscape 2021, featuring the latest market research, product innovation insights and consumer trends from across the region.
The pandemic has caused a seismic shift in calories consumed from foodservice and catering to retail and e-commerce. The long term shift to home-based working is driving better quality food and drinks made available for home consumption. Latest research from Mintel’s expert food and drink analyst team paints a picture of changing consumer behaviours and attitudes due to COVID-19, trends shaping the sector, and future opportunities for brands.
Jolene Ng, senior global food and drink analyst at Mintel, said: “In the Mintel Asia Pacific Food and Drink Landscape, we take a look at how our insights have shaped today’s food and drink market and are driving the industry into one of unparalleled innovation. With our sights trained on the future, Mintel Food and Drink gives you a full view of the marketplace to enable better strategic decisions and understanding of what consumers want and why.”
Key findings from Mintel’s APAC Food and Drink Landscape 2021 include:
Rising interest in digestive health
Considering dairy’s nutrient-rich image, consumers across APAC are looking for products that are easy to digest while still addressing their health needs.
Mintel data shows that, in India, 25 per cent of consumers are encouraged to consume more/start consuming lactose-free dairy drinks. In Thailand, 85 per cent of consumers claim to be interested in digestion-friendly dairy milk, such as lactose-free varieties.
Brands can highlight the perceived health benefits of lactose-free dairy (eg digestion-friendly), which play an increasingly prominent role in this category’s strong growth.
Food and drink follows fast fashion
Digitalised retail and communications drives food and drink innovation into the realm of fast fashion with stunning, and fast-changing, results. Fashion is a new frontier for food and drink brands and represents a new way of achieving cut through in the increasingly competitive online world. Mintel data shows that 62 per cent of Chinese consumers seek new flavours/foods to try.
In this digitised retail and social world, the goal of the brands is to develop products attuned with the latest fashion trends. Factors such as aesthetics, novelty and/or covetability are vital for brand relevance and driving sales.
What’s more, those stressed-out consumers increasingly turn to indulgent desserts and beverages for emotional relief. And Asian consumers have shifted their value priorities beyond just price in the wake of the pandemic. They will seek value by buying food that meets their taste, quality and health expectations.
Mintel’s Asia Pacific: The Food and Drink Landscape 2021 Report is available for free download here. For more information or to schedule an interview with our analyst team, please contact the Mintel Press Office at press@mintel.com.