Archive for category: Consumer Packaged Goods

Video: Best Sources Of Plant Proteins And Why You Need To Eat Them

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People have a good relationship with meat. This is the reason why animal protein consumption has risen immensely compared to 50 years ago. But because animal protein has been linked to various diseases, there is an increase in the number of consumers who opt to consume plant-based proteins.

The Benefits Of Consuming  Plant Proteins

In research conducted at Harvard University, people who consume plant proteins have a better metabolism than those who consume just animal proteins. This led people to have a lowered risk of developing obesity. In fact, increasing your consumption of plant proteins is associated with as low as 10% risk of premature death.

Unlike animal proteins, plant proteins do not come with added nitrites and nitrates. This is particularly the case for processed meat. Opting for organic plant proteins that are chemical-free, helps reduce inflammation in the body.

Another reason why it is crucial to consume more plant protein is that they contain a lot of fiber.  Plant sources of protein are namely chickpeas, legume, lentils, grains, and beans. These contain a lot of fiber that can help keep the digestive system functioning optimally. Shifting towards plant protein is good because studies have noted that an average Western diet is deficient in natural fiber. Fiber is also necessary because it serves as fuel for the good bacteria living in your gut.

But aside from fiber, plant proteins also contain high amounts of vitamins and minerals like folate, iron, zinc, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium. They are also cholesterol-free making them good for the heart.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of eating plant protein is that it is very affordable. If you buy animal protein, it typically costs two to three times as much as plant sources of proteins. Lastly, it is also good for the environment as the carbon footprint in maki a plant-based protein is less compared to growing animal meat.

 

How To Eat Plant-Based Proteins And The Best Sources

Eating plant proteins can be fun. Unfortunately, some people do not eat them because they do not know how to prepare them. One of the most effective way to prepare plant protein is to sprout them especially if you have beans. Sprouted legumes have benefits as they increase the absorption of nutrients in the intestines. Another way of preparing plant protein is to take them in powder form. However, make sure that you avoid powdered plant proteins that contain additives and artificial sweeteners.

If you are planning on introducing more plant-based proteins to your diet, then there are good sources of plant proteins that you can choose from. You can get your daily protein needs by eating at least a cup of black beans, chickpeas, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, edamame, lentils, pumpkin seeds, lima beans, green peas, spinach, brown rice, kale, quinoa, and Brussels sprouts. Other sources of plant proteins can come from all types of leafy green vegetables, nuts, and seeds.

Consuming plant-based protein has a lot of benefits not only to your health but also to the environment. Make sure that you incorporate them in your diet as often as you can.

Inspired by www.huffingtonpost.com

Healthy Snack Bars Driving Category Sales

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The healthy snack bar category grew by 2.08% from 2016 to 2017. This equated to $6 billion of sales in all snack bar categories. The growth of the snack bar industry is attributed to manufacturers offering a broad range of products to cater to the needs of different consumers.

According to culinary scientist Kyle Stuart, snack bars that feature all-natural ingredients are becoming too generic, and they fail to differentiate with customers these days. Consumers no longer want labels saying “all-natural” on their products. They want more specifications, so niche differentiation is a dominating trend in the snack bar market right now. This is the reason why snack bars are categorized depending on their purpose – energy provision, weight loss, meal replacement, snack, and so on.

Niche Differentiation Is Evident In The Snack Bar Industry

Niche differentiation of snack bars has resulted in category differentiation. There are now snack bars intended for daytime and evening consumption as well as those formulated with diet restrictions such as gluten-free, vegan, paleo, sugar-free, and much more.

The reason for niche differentiation is attributed to the growing needs of different consumers. For instance, some consumers buy a particular brand of snack bar because they opt for clean-label offerings while others buy because the ingredients used are simple and better for them.

Clean labeling is an important trend in the snack bar industry as many consumers value transparency. According to Carol Lowry, a senior food scientist at Cargill, product transparency is one of the biggest challenges food manufacturers, in general, are facing today. How can companies innovate while still using simple ingredients? It is something that’s hard to do especially if companies are after mass producing products that have longer shelf-lives.

Food Companies Are Starting To Innovate

Although challenging, this has presented an avenue for food manufacturers to explore and discover interesting combinations. For instance, the National Honey Board is now using natural sweeteners such as honey to make their breakfast biscuits and other products. Lowry and Cargill are looking into the use of vegetables and spices to provide savory flavors on their products instead of using artificial ingredients.

Food manufacturers are also looking into fortifying their products by using plant-based proteins sourced from beans, lentils, soy, nuts and many others. Food manufacturers see the need to incorporate such ingredients to their products to improve the nutrition profile and value of their snack bars.

And since it has been a long-standing issue that using clean ingredients produces products with lower shelf-life, food manufacturers are now using natural antioxidants like tocopherols instead of artificial preservatives to extend the shelf life of their products.

The Future Of The Snack Bar Category

The production of different kinds of snack bars has led to increased category innovation. While innovation involving the nutrition profile is the primary trend today, food scientists explain that there will be more changes in the future to improve the selling point of snack bars. Such innovations will tackle the texture and calorie count of products. Until then, consumers have a lot of things to look forward to when it comes to the snack bar industry.

Inspired by www.snackandbakery.com

Evolving Views of Healthy Eating Strain CPG Sales

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The consumer packaged goods industry sky-rocketed after World War II when people suddenly realized that it takes a fraction of a time to prepare meals with processed foods than with whole foods. Consumer packaged goods (CPG) are sold quickly because they are convenient and useful for a variety of household jobs. Fast-forward today, the popularity of consumer packaged goods is starting to dwindle as more consumers are becoming conscious about their health and the environment.

Corporations Are Suffering In Sales Decline

In fact, the sales of consumer packaged goods have started to decline as observed during the first quarter of 2017. But this isn’t news and brands knew that consumers shifted to using healthy and environmentally-friendly products. Giant CPG manufacturers have reported a decline in their sales. Companies like PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, and Nestle have all reported lower CPG sales but are still expecting things to pick up soon.

In a survey conducted by Nielsen, the purchase of consumer packaged goods in the United States has dropped by 2.5% in unit sales in the first quarter. Most of the companies blame the dip in sales to the changing mindset of their customers.

Reason For The Sales Decline

Customers these days demand fresh and healthy foods, which most CPG companies are not experts in manufacturing. The changing mindset of consumers forced major food manufacturers to reformulate their products to contain less salt, preservatives, and sugar. Aside from reformulating their products, they also rebranded their image by offering more health-focused products.

While such initiatives will help big manufacturers pick up their sales, analysts notice that more major brands still find it difficult to gain back traction as smaller startups are emerging and filling the needs of consumers. Startups are in better position to adapt to the changing requirements of the customers. According to Nielsen, startups are growing at a steady rate of 2.4% annually. This is probably the reason why many big brands are also looking into investing in smaller companies.

Startups Taking The Lead

So why is it difficult for major manufacturers to rebrand their image? These big companies have always been known for their products, and that is their legacy. Changing the reformulation of their products may lead to the alienation of their core customers who might not like the new taste and appearance of the new product.

For instance, Coca-Cola experienced a rebranding disaster during the 1980s when it revamped its formula and offered Diet Coke, but they were still able to pick up their sales and move forward soon after. Still, consumers have a mindset that if the product from a smaller startup has similar nutrition profile than its counterpart produced by giant companies, then they will opt for new things. Most consumers believe that startup companies can offer new things better than well-known CPG brands.

Inspired by www.fooddive.com

Eating More Plant Proteins Can Reduce The Risk Of Diabetes

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Plant protein benefits are currently widely studied and acknowledged by doctors, scientists, and nutritionists. Plant-based food manufacturers are developing different products to provide many options not only for vegans and vegetarians but also for new flexitarians.

Researchers have noted that many people eat too much meat and not enough vegetables and fruits. The National Institute of Health issued a guideline for physicians to recommend to their patients to eat plant-based proteins as an alternative to animal protein and as an effective way to reduce the risk for high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, high BMI, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.

The Study On Type 2 Diabetes And Eating Plant Proteins

Latest studies reveal that consuming less animal meat, particularly processed meat and replacing it with nuts, whole grains, and other plant-based sources can significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.  In fact, a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition noted that eating even a hundred grams of unprocessed meat every day can increase the likelihood of getting type 2 diabetes by as much as 19% while consumption of processed meats was linked to a 51% risk.

The long-term study involved 2,332 Finnish men between the age 42 and 60 years old. The respondents were examined according to their protein intake and their risk for type 2 diabetes. The study found out that replacing 15 of calories from animal protein with the same amount of plant protein can decrease the possibility of type 2 diabetes by as much as 18%.

 

The Shift From Animal To Plant-Based Proteins

New research concerning the harmful effects of red meat on health has pushed many consumers to eat healthily. In fact, the consumption of red meat in the United States fell by 33% since 1970 to about 101 lbs. per individual per year while the number of vegetarians has remained stable at 3%. Meanwhile, the number of vegetarian products has doubled over the past decade.

Studies about the health benefits of plant-based diets have encouraged some meat eaters to incorporate more plant proteins in their meals. This has also led to many food companies like Tyson to invest in companies like Beyond Meat.

While it pays to be a vegetarian, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics noted that not all vegetarians are equal. For instance, vegetarians who consume eggs and dairy can get their daily dose of healthy protein while vegans need to eat a broad range of grains, nuts, and beans to supplement their protein needs.

More and more people are encouraged to eat plant proteins, and food manufacturers can play a paramount role as they fill this particular niche.

Inspired by www.fooddive.com

Effective Packaging Design Is Key To A Successful Start-Up Brand

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In today’s social media-driven world, the competition of food and beverage brands can be tough. No longer should companies settle on traditional commercials on TV, print ads, and radio. Brands are now placing importance on effective communication through design.

Packaging design is an important element in getting a particular brand into people’s minds and hearts. An effective packaging design can catch the attention of the consumers encouraging them to engage and buy new products.

Why Is Effective Packaging Design Beneficial?

Packaging design is beneficial for start-up companies, and they don’t need to enlist the help of a million-dollar advertising firm to get their message across their clients. Never underestimate the power of an effective packaging design because coupled with social media advertising, it can catch the attention of people from around the globe.

Startup companies who wish to make their brand well-known should seek the help of an active brand designer. Startups need to communicate with the brand designer to incorporate the potential of the product in the branding and also make it appealing to its intended target market. Knowing the target market is crucial in designing the packaging that will conform to the preferences of the targeted consumers.

For instance, the company Bear produces kid’s snacks, and it went to great lengths to create an effective packaging design while incorporating collectible cards and codes to make it look fun for children. By the end of 2015, the company became the largest children’s fruit snack company in the United Kingdom.

 

Adding Personality Is Important In Packaging

Every brand needs to show people the company’s unique personality. It is important to take note that packaging is the unspoken way of making introductions. A package design that is unpretentious is considered more appealing for everyone. In most cases, using humor and wit is very useful in branding, which can be evident in the logo, type of fonts used and other elements used in the brand. It is important to take note that none of this wit and humor will be useful if the product isn’t also good. Simply put, effective branding should conform to the quality of the product being represented by the packaging.

Effective branding due to package design always works best if the product is made out of passion. If a product is conceived out of passion, everyone–the creator, brand designer, and consumers–will all believe in the product that is being promoted. Without passion, startup companies find it hard to sell their products even if the packaging designs are appealing.

The success of a startup relies so much on the brand designer and how he or she can turn words and visions into reality–a real brand. A brand designer does not only understand the market, but they also know the product and the company. With an effective packaging design, everything is balanced.

Inspired by www.foodbev.com

Kale: The Most Popular Ingredient In Your Pantry

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Many types of superfoods are available for consumers and kale is one of them. Kale is considered as the hottest superfood over the past few years.

You can find it in your baby food, vitamins, supplements, and tons of new clean label food and beverage products. The popularity of the green plant has even gone past food. For example, even some nail polish brands are infused with kale essence to strengthen nails supposedly.

Kale-Infused Products Show Increase In Sales

According to a market analysis conducted by Nielsen for MarketWatch, kale is being infused into snacks, pasta sauce, sausages, and even pet food. You can also find it in your favorite desserts like frozen yogurt and even cakes. The sales of kale-infused vitamins and supplements, for instance, grew by as much as 125% over the last year.

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While kale-infused products are very popular, consumers should not be too swayed. For example, many companies add a small amount of kale in their products even if they are obviously junk foods to look like they are healthy. Unfortunately, kale is used as a marketing ploy to give unhealthy food a health halo.

Marketers Using It To Their Full Advantage

It is not only junk foods that use the green plant as a marketing ploy. Many supplements appear to use kale as ornaments in marketing their products. Kale powders, for example, encourage people to get kale in powder form thus defeating the purpose of eating the real thing.

The idea of taking it in powder or pill form might be enticing to people who are not a big fan of this leafy green. However, they are devoid of fiber resulting in a lot of missing nutrition.

Should You Eat The Real Thing Or Not?

According to Kristin Kirkpatrick from the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute, the addition of kale in food products does not mean that you are getting a full serving of this leafy green. Most of these kale-infused products are often processed with a lot of oil, salt, and sugar to make them taste better than the unadulterated ones.

In conclusion, the best way to get your fix of this superfood is to eat the green vegetable itself. While kale-infused products are an excellent way to slightly supplement your daily needs, they are not enough to meet your daily requirements. Prepare kale in salads, stir-fry, and slaws to get the most out of it.

Inspired by www.marketwatch.com

Almost 80% of Consumers Look For Products With a Fewer Ingredients

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Most consumers these days think about their health and the environment whenever they are shopping. According to the Market Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) of 2017, shoppers are opting for products that have fewer ingredients and clean product labels. Activities related to this include buying plant-based, non-GMO, and organic products to show support to the planet and their health.

In the same study, 8 out of 10 consumers are now conscious, about their health and opt to buy products with fewer ingredients that they can understand and pronounce. Most consumers are not afraid to ditch their old grocery stores for shops that offer products with clean labels. This resulted in the popularity of farmer’s markets and health food stores.  As a result, many of retail supermarkets are now carrying clean label products to increase their market reach.  Examples of these retail giants include Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods Market, Target, and Price Clubs.

Millennials Opt For Clean Labels with Simple Ingredients

But who drives the whole clean label movement? In the survey, Market LOHAS noted that millennials occupy most of the pie, at about 60%, while the older generation is not so keen on the advantages of clean labels.  The younger generation worries too much about the effects of using harmful ingredients in food while the older consumers stress the importance of allergy related label claims.

The thing is that more and more Millennials are health conscious because this is the generation of sick people. With the presence of fast-food restaurants and a plethora of processed junk food, it is easy for this generation to suffer from metabolic-related diseases like obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

What Drives Their Purchase

Almost 70% of Americans buy free-from food products mainly for health and nutritional reasons. In fact,  personal well-being is one of the most important driving factors that push people to buy products with clean labels. There is also a growing belief that free-from foods are also linked to having a healthy planet. For instance, cage-free poultry is believed to be better for the body and the world because the animals are grown in a humane way.

Another driving factor that pushes people to buy products with clean labels is the company’s ethics. In fact, 56% of the respondents claim that they refuse to buy from a company whose products are perceived to be produced by unethical means. This has also driven companies to adhere to better policies when it comes to manufacturing their products.

Consumption of products with clean labels is not only healthy and ethical, but it is also sustainable for the environment. While more expensive, people are willing to spend extra more to be able to buy products that they believe are not only good for their health but also the environment.

Inspired by www.grocerydive.com

CytoSport Eyes Plant-Based Proteins In New Product Line

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Protein drinks are growing in popularity among multiple generations of people. Athletes are using drinks to improve their performance when playing sports. Protein drinks are believed to improve performance and increase muscle mass. But while dairy-based protein shakes are still popular, there is an increasing trend of people who opt for dairy-free protein beverages. Muscle Milk Maker, CytoSport, released a line of vegan protein shakes, powder, and bars to meet the demands of its vegan and vegetarian customers.

CytoSport Launches Evolve Brand to Compete in Plant-Based Protein

Dubbed as Evolve, this new CytoSport product is made from non-GMO, plant-based protein. Derived from peas, this new line of vegan protein products come in flavors like chocolate, toasted almonds, and vanilla. With this move, CytoSport is expecting to expand their customer reach to vegans and vegetarians, who naturally do not buy their products because they are dairy-based.

Greg Longstreet, the CEO, noted that the company needs to expand their market and they predict that plant-based proteins will dominate the market ten years from now. Although this is not the first time that the company has made innovations, launching Evolve is a very bold move by the corporation as it is well-known for making conventional protein shakes and powders. The move is beyond what the company is usually used to making.

Why Plant Proteins?

But why plant proteins? There is a premise that plant proteins are better sources of protein.  In fact, it is not only CytoSport that is now developing products using plant-based proteins. Even companies like Hormel, General Mills, Kellogg’s, and Tyson Foods have invested in plant-based proteins.

Aside from increasing revenue and improving their market reach, Evolve is also a way to introduce healthy drinks to women. The thing is that while the Muscle Milk brand is preferred mostly by men, Evolve was launched with female consumers in mind. It contains fewer calories than normal dairy-based protein shakes.

The Future for CytoSport

But while plant-based protein products are gaining traction in the market these days, CytoSport is facing a significant barrier as there are still many people who believe that consuming eggs and milk are the best sources of protein, instead of plants. Although this may be the case, the company is still banking on the belief that people will have a change of heart in the coming years. This is the reason why the company is developing other plant-based proteins. As a sampler, the company is going to launch its line of protein bars this coming spring.

The company is hopeful that the plant-based proteins will be embraced by the consumers of the future a.ka. Millennials. Aside from CytoSport, even Hormel is confident with this particular line of product. In fact, Hormel CEO Jim Snee noted that the company is projected to increase its sales by 2020.

Mainly, plant-based products will dominate the market as more and more people are now embracing the trend of eating clean and healthy foods. As consumers, we should expect to see a lot of food companies following suit to meet the demands of consumers who have converted to eating clean, organic and healthy foods.

Inspired by fortune.com