Hamburg. (hmc) Tried and tested solutions are in demand at times of economic uncertainty. And the food sector is no exception – decision makers are going for products and methods which have proved successful, and re-packaging them for new impact. Clean labels are also up-and-coming, with increasing emphasis on quality. Ethical components are in focus, too, and sustainability is a key ingredient. This and other current developments, with new products and innovative concepts for the hospitality sector, will be showcased by the international trade show Internorga at the Hamburg Fair Site from 12 to 17 March 2010.
The food sector is increasingly going for proven products and concepts. There seems to be a return to well-known and successful methods in convenience foods and snacks – a sector where the manufacturers are continually demonstrating their expertise with ongoing innovations and new ideas. Bernd Stark, CEO Salomon Foodworld, is quite right when he says «In today´s difficult economic situation we can see a somewhat restrictive approach by our wholesalers to absolute market innovations, and at the same time end consumers are losing their appetite for experiments – they tend to go for proven solutions and simply present them in a new way».
This insight seems to be widespread at present, with manufacturers working more on the further development of their successful products and concepts rather then presenting completely new ideas. On the other hand, says Bernd Stark, new stimuli are indispensable in the form of product innovations, especially with a view to satisfying needs and to providing fascination for customers. A good example of that is schnitzels (cutlets), which are a steady seller in the catering market. There are more and more variants and preparation styles, with pork, veal and chicken, and even toast-your-own variants. In bakery goods, there is a movement for renaissance of classic products like the cream gateau, which are revived and re-interpreted.
Convenience is the leitmotif and the common factor that links together all these products and concepts. Clean labelling has already implemented by many companies in most of their products, and they are now communicating it on a broad front. Manufacturers are also increasingly focusing on food intolerance, such as lactose or gluten intolerance, and making their products accessible to these consumer groups.
Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility are increasingly an issue for the food industry. They are gaining ground in the fish and seafood segment, which wants sustainable fishery to maintain stocks – and that also applies to some restaurants and catering firms. So many large companies are working on implementation of sustainable fishing, or working for the MSC certificate for their company cafeteria. The cafeteria at the Federal Ministry of Food is already MSC certified, according to information from Minister Ilse Aigner.
In other food segments, too, sustainability is accelerating. It even seems to be overtaking the organic movement – as a kind of «organic lite». In the potato sector, leading companies have changed their cultivation and production processes over to sustainability. Environmental protection and resource conservation are becoming key principles with many producers.
In recipes, the trends of the last few years continue stable, centring on regional and ethnic dishes. The emphasis is on quality and superior value. There is also a boom in halal products, that is food which meets the standards required by Islam – a trend which is on the increase worldwide.
