The Future Of Nutrition conference, the first event of its kind aimed at Foodservice professionals, has been hosted by Kerry Taste & Nutrition at the Courthouse Hotel, Shoreditch. Its aim was to examine how nutrition is changing the game in foodservice and inspiring innovation on menus. The conclusions drawn are sure to be of interest to operators of vending machines and micro-markets.
Speakers and panelists gathered at The Future Of Nutrition conference from leading companies in the sector including Starbucks, McDonalds, Crussh, Sodexo, Greggs, The WellSpoken Mark and the British Nutrition Foundation.
The Future Of Nutrition out of home was the sole focus. New Kerry Taste & Nutrition pan European research was revealed, demonstrating that eight out of 10 of those seeking to change their diet believing foodservice operators have a responsibility to improve nutrition on their menus.
The new research looked into consumer attitudes, needs, trends and behaviours towards nutrition when eating out of home. There was a specific focus on transparency of food sourcing, sugar reduction, the importance of maintaining signature taste profiles and how this impacts operators. In addition, new and emerging health trends and the importance of language when conveying healthy options to consumers were also examined.
Key themes at The Future Of Nutrition Conference were:
Consumers get real
People are increasingly looking for food and drink options that are more natural, more nutritious and more environmentally sustainable with 35% considering natural ingredients/flavours the most important nutritional claim at lunch and dinner. Respondents also said that there are demands for ‘cleaner’ cooking methods with steaming, poaching and baking preferred over frying.
Transparency needs
6 in 10 people would like to see more nutritional information such as calorie content, fat content and sugar content displayed on foodservice menus.
The Future Of Nutrition Conference
Hold the sugar
43% of foodservice customers are interested in or following a reduced sugar trend, and increasingly searching for beverages with low sugar (57%) or no added sugar (53%) attributes. Interestingly, 41% see real fruit as a key beverage health attribute. This strongly suggests that real fruit as a sweetener is something operators could be making more of.
Finding balance
81% of those seeking to change their diet believe foodservice operators have a responsibility to improve nutrition on their menus. The foodservice industry must respond to this overwhelming market demand. While nutrition is an emerging trend, taste still remains key as the most sought-after need. Many are seeking out smarter ways to indulge for example one in three (38%) look for natural claims when purchasing ice cream.
Mind matters
Consumers are increasingly focusing on holistic well-being. This involves considering and nourishing all human elements – mind, body and spirit; 32% of people cite mental well-being as a key reason to change their diet.
“People are eating out more frequently and demanding healthy options that don’t compromise on taste,” Karl Buiks, Vice President for Foodservice, Marketing & Strategic Planning, Kerry Taste & Nutrition said at The Future Of Nutrition Conference. “The foodservice industry is also being challenged by public health bodies to address this demand with nutritional improvements to menus.”
Elaine Druhan, Foodservice Marketing Manager at Kerry Taste & Nutrition, who unveiled the research at the event, added: “Given the limited amount of research to date in this area specifically, we really wanted to help our customers understand this growing trend and in turn be able to evolve their businesses to meet consumers’ growing nutritional expectations.
For more information, on the The Future Of Nutrition conference, please click HERE
Healthy Vending stories on PV can be found HERE
