Pace of Food & Beverage Industry Innovation Will Quicken in 2018, Predict MSL Experts

Annual Food & Beverage Trends Forecast Sees High-Tech, High-Speed Forces at Work

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Jan 04, 2018, 10:00 ET

SEATTLE, Jan. 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The food market will experience rapid evolution in 2018, according to sector experts at MSL. A broad array of technological innovations will make it easier to acquire and consume foods and beverages tailored to our specific food needs, speeds and philosophies.

These insights emerge from the MSL's annual analysis of top food trends compiled by its highly specialized food marketing and PR team, appearing as a sharable infographic. In recent years the agency's forecast has been viewed more than 100,000 times. Past forecasts have spotted the emergence of major marketplace successes, including turmeric, coconut, ugly produce, food waste reduction and coffee as an ingredient.

In 2018, the agency's food experts expect these six factors to drive conversation and commerce in the food and beverage market:

Clean Packaging: Building on the clean ingredients drive, brands will now want to look as clean as they are inside.
Plant Milks and Butchery: Almond milk was the gateway food. Now we want coconut yogurt, vegetable steaks, squash pasta, and more.
Instant Gratification: In a modern gold rush, competing food delivery solutions are racing to close the gap between hunger and satiation.
Regional Artisan Dairy: Drinking milk may be on the outs, but grass-fed and cultured dairy products, touting local terroir, are screaming for attention. It's local, artisan, probiotic, and Instagramable.
Retail Experimentation: Amazon is scaring food retailers into a frenzy of innovation. Expect a buyer's market, rich with entertainment and special offers in-store and personalized inducements online.
Ultra-Personalization: We've gotten very picky with our food choices, guarding against allergies and intolerance, accounting for genetics, catering to our latest dietary system. Food makers are responding in kind.

"The large and sometimes lumbering food sector has had a fire set under it," said Steve Bryant, MSL's North American Director for Food, Beverage & Agriculture. "The speed of technology has transformed consumer expectations. Now, consumers are powerfully equipped to curate their food and drink choices, calling on trusted social influencers, and freely experimenting in today's multi-faceted marketplace. Food makers will race to keep pace."

"Smart marketers will tap into these trends as an opportunity for growth," said Joy Blakeslee, the registered dietitian who directs MSL's North America Culinary & Nutrition Center. "The trends we're forecasting present valuable opportunities in product development and promotion, social media engagement, and media and influencer endorsement."

MSL's food and beverage experts monitor trends and industry research, and counsel America's food industry from farm to fork. Each year the expert team collectively synthesizes insights from extensive reviews of industry developments, attendance at a dozen industry meetings, and analysis of sector sales data.

About MSL's Food, Beverage & Agriculture Team

The food and beverage specialists at MSL provide public relations and integrated communications as part of Publics Groupe. Their mission is to create economic value for the world's food, beverage and agriculture industry. MSL operates in markets around the world, representing leading food and beverage brands, and manages a state-of-the-art Culinary & Nutrition Content Studio in Seattle.

About MSL

MSL is Publicis Groupe's public relations and integrated communications network, one of the world's largest. It provides strategic counsel and creative thinking while championing its clients' interests through fearless and insightful campaigns that engage multiple perspectives and holistic thinking to build influence and deliver impact. With more than 3,100 people across more than 110 offices worldwide, MSL is also the largest PR network in Europe, and the fastest growing in China and India.

About Publicis Communications

Publicis Communications is one of the four solutions hubs of Publicis Groupe, alongside Publicis Media, Publicis.Sapient and Publicis Healthcare. Publicis Communications unites the Groupe's creative offering: Publicis Worldwide, Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi, BBH, Fallon, Marcel, Prodigious, a global production leader, and MSL, specialized in strategic communications. Present in 20 markets, Publicis Communications aims to be the indispensable creative partner in their clients' transformation. Publicis Communications draws upon the expertise of over 30,000 employees.